This was a solid debut novel perfect for fans of family dramas and historical fiction set within the music industry, along the lines of the recent debut novel Honey, as well as the classic Daisy Jones & The Six.

The plot vacillates between dual timelines: Judie and Sylvia in the 1960s, a pair of Jewish sisters who rise to fame as "The Singer Sisters," and Emma in the 1990s, who is Judie's daughter. Emma is on the quest for fame, while her mother disapproves. There are lots of other family dynamics at play, including themes of adoption/accidental pregnancy, LGBTQ representation, divorce, etc. We see the sister rivalry between Judie and Sylvia, as Judie sidelines her career to raise her family, while her husband still gets to tour as a musician, and Sylvia refuses to marry to focus on her career instead. Overall, I much preferred the Judie/Sylvia narrative, as I found the Emma character to be rather immature and annoying, with limited character development, while the latter two are very well written with lots of depth and nuance!

In the mid-1960s, Judie Zingerman is well on her way to becoming a folk-rock legend. She is the storyteller, and her sister Sylvia is the lead singer of The Singer Sisters. The story shifts to the mid-1990s. Judie's daughter Emma Cantor decides to chase her own musical dream as an alt-rocker. Judie has stopped writing and performing but no one understands why. Emma's relationship with Judie is often strained and she has a closer relationship with her father Dave, a successful singer/songwriter. After a deep secret from Judie's past is uncovered, the mother and daughter grow further apart. Emma wants to be a star, but at what cost?

Sarah Seltzer's impressive debut novel, The Singer Sisters is a family drama set against the backdrop of the music scenes of the 1960s and 1990s. Many song lyrics are included which vividly express the emotions of the characters. I was fully immersed into the world of this family and moved by the complicated mother/daughter dynamics. Music lovers, be sure to check this one out.

4.25 stars.

I think I would have enjoyed this book more had I not built up my expectations so high after reading the description. It was a a good story, with a well thought out flow. It just didn't quite capture my attention like I thought it would. Still a good read if you are a music lover.

The Singer Sisters tells the story of two generations of a successful musical family and all of the secrets and craziness that being a part of such a family entails. Emma Kantor is on tour in 1996 and uses her folk-singing mother Judie Kantor as her inspiration. Her famous parents are getting divorced as Emma discovers a deep hidden secret about Judie's past. Told through flashbacks to a time when Judie and her sister Sylvia were the Singer Sisters, the novel tells of love, secrets, egos and talents of a large, famous, Jewish family from the 1960s-2000s.

I started by listening to this one on one of those super hot days while walking across town. I listened to half of it because I had a long walk and the audio was great. I had no idea what to expect from this novel but I was instantly smitten - I loved the story, the Jewish representation and the dysfunction. I thought the relationships rang true as it touched on mother/daughter, father/daughter and sibling relationships and how forgiveness can take time. I was totally there for this nutty but loving family, their drama and their story - this novel kept my attention for the entire time (and again, it was a long sweaty walk back home).

4.25 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron books for the ARC to review

Wow, just WOW. The Singer Sisters by Sarah Seltzer blew me away. 

It's a moving and emotional family drama. It is about creating art, your life, your legacy. You follow two generations of a family of singer-songwriters and the sacrifices they make to chase their dreams, for success, for love. The characters get it wrong as often as they get it right. They ride the highs of fame and pick up the pieces when everything falls apart. I loved the way Seltzer highlighted the challenges of motherhood and womanhood: the female characters struggle to assert their agency and chart their own course in a man's world. She shows how life is a journey and there is freedom and power that come from making your own decisions and living by your own mistakes.

Seltzer's writing had me captivated. I felt like I knew this family, these characters. The book even has beautiful and poetic snippets of lyrics from songs, because sometimes the best way to tell a story is through music. Oh, and the book has fantastic Jewish representation. 

4.5 Stars

If you love books about the music industry and family dramas, this one is for you!

Thank you to Flatiron Books and the author for the ARC.
The Singer Sisters will be out 8/6.

I listened to this on audio and maybe that made a difference in how I received this book, because I never felt particularly invested in the story or any of the characters. I was expecting to love it based on early reviews and its comparison to Daisy Jones and the Six and Mary Jane, two books I loved, but I found myself getting easily distracted while I listened.

There were elements of the story I appreciated. Jewish representation, depression, the effects of adoption, LGTBQ-related issues, and I liked the sense of healing and redemption at the end. I just didn’t connect with the story enough to care where it went.

There are a lot of people who will enjoy this story. It’s well-written, and the subject is interesting. It just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, Flatiron Books, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of the book and audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

On paper, this book contains a lot of aspects I usually love in books. It had multiple POV, different timelines, had a theme of celebrity, and focused on family dynamics. However, I felt it missed its mark in the execution.

This book had great bones- the structure for a wonderful book! It just wasn’t fleshed out enough for me. I found I really enjoyed the characters but I just wanted more! The author never really got deep into who the characters were and without that, it left me wanting. I didn’t feel I ever quite understood why the characters were acting the way they were or what their motivations were.

I think this book could have been excellent but ended up just being ok for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I’m sooo sorry but apparently this book wasn’t for me. Not a single thing caught my attention. Basically just about a messy musician family, told from the women’s POV, set back and forth between past and present.

Only 270ish pages but felt like at least 400 pages because I didn’t enjoy it at all. After 20% mark I just wanted it to be over. And my experience didn’t change even after i finished the whole book.

Readers of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones and the Six will love Seltzer’s debut title, The Singer Sisters. Set in the 1990s and 1960s and full of details about the music business, the author captures the highs and lows of fame.

Emma Cantor is an alternative rocker hoping to land a record deal. Her mother Judie together with her aunt Sylvia created The Singer Sisters, a successful folk rock band during the 60s. Now Emma is determined to make her own mark even with warnings from her family. Fame comes with difficult choices, secrets and sacrifices that affect the entire family for generations.

Sarah Seltzer convincingly portrays the complications of mother/daughter relationships. Themes of fame, betrayal and family secrets combine to create a compelling coming of age story. Readers who enjoy family dramas, character driven writing and a peek into the music business will enjoy The Singer Sisters.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy.

I struggled through this because I felt the 3rd person POV created a detachment so I never felt connected to any of the characters. I appreciated the multiple POV because you got to see each characters villain origin story essentially, but I never rooted for any of them and just fell a little flat.

Honestly, this one was iust really unmemorable to me and I am having trouble remembering the plot for this one.

This book is strikingly honest about the complex relationships between sisters, mothers, and daughters. I was so swept up in it that I couldn't put it down. This debut had me asking if the author personally experienced some of the events in this book because of how accurately she wrote about them. What an excellent and moving read.

Components of this book that I tend to like:
- alternate perspectives and timelines
- complicated family dynamics
- music/musician centered

The Singer Sisters nails all three. While I did have a stronger preference for Emma's storyline in '90s, Judie's storyline in the '60s has all of the context and answers needed to understand the entire story.

I wish I could listen to all of the music in this book! What a fabulous mix of two amazing musical time periods.

Ratings
Quality of Writing 4/5
Pacing 3/5
Plot Development 4/5
Character Development 5/5
Overall Enjoyability 4/5

The description of this book sounded as intriguing as Daisy and the Six, however, I didn't find it as compelling and I had a hard time concentrating - the story kept jumping around too much for me. I know many people gave this a good review, but I honestly had a hard time finishing it - which I did - only because I felt I had to give this book an honest review.

For fans of Daisy Jones & The Six and heartfelt family dramas, look no further than The Singer Sisters, which publishes August 6. This story follows 1960s folk musicians the Singer Sisters, Sylvia and Judie, who are determined to make their own path in the world. Judie in particular can’t wait to start writing music and runs away to New York to start honing her musical craft. What unfolds is the heartfelt and complicated life stories of this musical family and their generations of passion, obligations, and the winding paths their choices led them down. The story alternates between several characters’ perspectives, including Judie’s daughter Emma who constantly clashes with her mother as they live out different life paths, all while being wired just like one other. For readers who love very character-driven reads, glimpses into the music industry (particularly 1960s folk, and 90s alt-rock), and plenty of family drama, this is a must read! You will both be frustrated and inspired by these women, who are determined to make a way for themselves and write themselves into history one song at a time.

My very FIRST NetGalley review! Thank you to the group for the early access to this debut novel.

Folk rock—think Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Neil Young— was, like traditional rock and roll, was an Earth-shaking movement.

It’s also the cultural epicenter of this novel. And if folk rock is the epicenter, womanhood in entertainment is its war-zone.

Our story follows two main character timelines: rock dynasty/mother and daughter Judie and Emma, in their 20s, respectively. The former, a hopeful songwriter a part of a sister group called The Singer Sisters in the 60s, and a latter, a relentless 90s rocker completely remiss at her mother’s coldness.

As time progresses, we learn how these two women, and the ones around them, handle that gnawing, musical calling. There are classic folk references, drugs, scandals, relationships….and ultimately, a look into the multifaceted relationships each woman has with those around her, herself, and her music.

I enjoyed the fictional take on a musical movement (especially after learning a bit about the folk-rock era from a recent Bob Dylan book) and the author’s bold approach to heavy issues women face both within the entertainment industry and at large. It's not often we get such in-depth looks at important female experiences, especially in entertainment.

However, I wasn’t entirely enraptured by this read. Between the two timelines, I felt like our main characters didn’t show much growth. Either that, or in different times, the characters became entirely different people altogether (in a way that felt unnatural). It made it hard to get to know any characters, or root for one, because they were constantly contradicting themselves to the point where it was hard to grasp what any of them really believed, wanted, or who they were.

The book comes out in August, and though I had some apprehensions, I would say I most definitely learned a thing or two about what it means to be a woman on a global stage, in turbulent times, and what that can do to a person. If that interest you, and you love music, I recommend giving this one a shot!

This is a dual timeline about a mother and daughter through the ages. We see each as they progress as musicians.
This was an interesting story and I liked seeing these dual timelines and the family dynamics.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

The Singer Sisters, by Sarah Seltzer, is not just about sisters. It's mostly a mother/daughter, past present novel that reads like a powerful rock ballad. Set in the 60s and 90s, Judie and Emma will take you on a wild ride. Definitely bring the tissues, and plan on ignoring real life for a while. This book would make a great movie- and I bet the audiobook will be fantastic too!! Highly recommend!!!

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.

I love books with mother/daughter dynamics. This one was interesting and extra unique because of the music theme and two timelines. The sixties and the nineties are such great decade settings for fiction; add in music of the times and it makes for a great story. I really felt for the characters and got involved in their conflict. The song lyrics and poetry was a bonus.

“Her mom’s music spoke like Bruce Springsteen spoke to her, like Hole spoke to her, like Prince: a desire for freedom and belonging.”

The Singer Sisters comes out 8/6.

From the first sentence of this novel, I was captivated by the fully realized, multi-dimensional world of the Singer Sisters and their family, friends, and comrades. The novel is a thrill ride as well as a subtle, incisive, yet always generous meditation on the love, secrets, and resentments within a family. The rich evocation of the music world of past and present is a delight and it serves as an incredible stage for this family's dramas. This novel brings multiple generations, with all their joys and struggles, to extraordinarily vivid life. A triumph!