I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Firstly, I thought it was really well-written. I would read more books from this author in the future - I really enjoyed the flow of the sentences, and the writing had this very visceral, yet readable quality, that really appealed to me.

The topics of mental health and therapy are front and center in this book, explored via the relationship between two sisters: Amy and Ollie. The book also looks at their family and friends within the context of that relationship. It took a bit of time to get invested in the characters (Ollie specifically), but once that happened, it was smooth sailing. The second half of the book was stronger than the first, in my opinion.

Overall, I liked the book, and I would recommend it.

I tend to enjoy stories about sibling relationsips because of how unique a bond they offer in life, and this story was no exception. I found that the tug and pull between the sisters is what propels this story forward, and the damages to their bond fuel their desire to repair it.

Immensely readable, thoughtful story of a contemporary family and two sisters at odds. We feel for Amy and understand her love for rebellious and unstable Olivia, and parents like theirs are in every neighborhood. Will recommend to the book clubs I lead. Lots to discuss here.

2.5⭐️

It felt like I was reading a memoir. It wasn’t what I had in mind before reading. It addresses quite several issues but I don’t make much of what the story really is. When I got to the last page, the question on my mind was, “And?”.

Sadly, this isn’t for me but thanks to Grove Atlantic via NetGalley for the ARC.

Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner is a story about a complicated sister relationship between Amy and Olivia Shred. It begins with Amy recalling her childhood and adolescence and the stark differences between her and her older sister as well as their parents treatment towards each daughter. The main driver of this is mental health. We also see how mental health impacts Amy’s career, friendship and relationships. I wasn't made to feel hopeful for the characters but was still driven to find out how their story ends. Quite often the characters would make bad decisions and often what led to this choice wasn’t explored. This can be good because it provokes the reader to think of the possibilities, but I think the story could have been better served with a bit more explanation. It's a raw and (potentially) confronting story that is written in a straightforward way with vivid characters, thus making it an easy and enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley and GroveAtlantic for allowing me to read a DRC of this book. Shred Sisters will be published on the 1st of October 2024.

Shred Sisters is a harrowing story of two sisters on two very different paths and the unbreakable bond they have that binds them to each other amidst it all. Despite the lives Olivia and Amy led and how extreme all their choices seemed, there is no denying how real their experiences are. Lerner lays out the complexities of familial ties, the lengths people would go to protect the ones they love, and the exponential impact a single person could make on those around them. The whole book felt like a domino effect unfolding in the worst possible way to everyone involved.

While this book gave us the slice of life most of us turn away from, there were times I wished for more. I couldn’t bring myself to fully empathise with the characters, a part of me wishing there was more to them than the pain they carried. Despite that, I appreciate the message this book conveys and the raw emotions reflected in the Shred family.

I found this book almost painful to read--pain for both sisters. But who can resist a book about sisters, especially if you have 1 or 2 or 3 of them? But this is primarily about a dysfunctional family and it would be a fun read for a book club as there is much to digest, dissect, and chew on. It's also a sad commentary on mental illness in our society so an appropriate read for anyone interested in this topic.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I kept thinking 'what, next?' as the story progressed and was completely hooked!

There should be a genre of books for stories about sisters where one is responsible and one is completely out-of-whack—due to mental illness, addiction, or whatever. The voice of Shred Sisters is one of the best in this genre. Easy to read, goes down smoothly.

In a lot of this genre, everybody has enough money and housing, so the problems are first-world family dysfunction. Again, this is one of the best of these books.

I was never bored and enjoyed it . . . even though I get bored hanging out with this kind of dysfunction in real life. And that’s saying something. I never wanted to abandon this book, despite my bias. Very, very well done.

This book centered around two sisters: the wild and the quiet. At time it was painful to watch Amy become a bystander to her louder, controversial sister. Lerner did an amazing job writing a novel where the mental health of the main characters was not the plot but colored lens applied to all main characters. There were times where I wanted Ollie to become someone else, and also knew the reality (especially with the setting's time period) would probably not. Definite tears at the ending. Would recommend to those who love a realistic portrayal of complicated family dynamics, the impact of mental health on siblings, and have found themselves lost due to another's alleged shining light.

“Happiness is attainable - sadness is inevitable.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Betsy Lerner & the publisher, Grove Atlantic, for this ARC. Note that this in no way affected my review - all opinions stated are entirely my own.

Shred Sisters follows the story of a family through the eyes of the youngest daughter, Amy. Amy’s sister, Ollie, is different. For as long as she can remember, Ollie has always been different. She is a risk taker, a gambler - everything that methodical, calculated Amy is not. As Ollie grows up, she becomes more of a danger to herself and her family, until she is eventually admitted into a mental health facility for bipolar disorder following a particularly manic episode.

Years pass for the Shred family and life revolves around what Ollie is or isn't doing. Amy graduates from high school and college. She lands a fancy job in New York and gets married but somehow, she still isn’t content with herself.

We follow Amy through her life journey and through a cycle of denial - that despite their distance, Ollie does still affect Amy’s life and relationships. The family dynamics in this book are immensely complicated and embassy but undeniably real. Overall, a very realistic depiction of the cycles of mental illness and the imperfections of being human. Self-destruction, infidelity, parental issues, the collective denial shared by the Shred family - Lerner does a great job at capturing them and making the book read more like a memoir than fiction.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed ‘Cleopatra & Frankenstein’, ‘Conversations With Friends’, or ‘Alone With You In The Ether’.

Shred Sisters releases October 1!

*Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC*

This book follows the ups and downs of the Shred's through the lense of Amy, the youngest daughter. Through her point of view we get a brutally honest and realistic portrayal of her sister Ollie and what it's like for a family to deal with someone with untreated mental issues.

This was a delightful read for someone that enjoys books that explore family dynamics, mental health issues and complex characters.

Shred Sisters follows the life of the Shred family through the lens of the youngest daughter, Amy Shred. She is an introvert, cautious and studious whereas her sister, Olivia, is an extravert, erratic and chaotic. The story follows how the family changes across the years as the daughters grow into adults. The story is slow-moving as it describes two decades of life in detail, honing in on the effects of mental health, love and loss. No character is without flaws and it was refreshing to read such a raw book for a change.

‘Shred sisters’ by Betsy Lerner is a novel that follows the life, and the ups and downs of it, of the family Shred, narrated from the point of view of Amy, the youngest daughter. The main focus is the families relationship with the older daughter, Olivia, and how her bipolar disorder did affect the entire family, with an even deeper focus on the two sisters. The story begins with the siblings being young girls and follows them through the life into the adulthood, taking the reader into a pool of emotions, love, loss, guilt, jealousy, insecurity and Amy’s journey to explore herself as a person with the everlasting, nagging uncertainty about her sisters whereabouts and well being.

This book felt incredibly personal to me from the start. As a sister of two younger siblings myself, the insight into the bond of sisterhood from the point of view of a younger sibling was refreshing, and very eye opening at times throughout the read. It made me realise the heavy impact an older sibling can have on their younger siblings, all the good and all the bad ones, just as Olivia did for Amy.

The words were interwoven effortlessly, turning the read into an absolute pleasant experience with no bumpy roads, equally as captivating as they were educating. It was the realest reading experience I had in a while, hitting very close to home, showing the many facades of families, sisterhood, the complicated journey finding your own place in the world amidst the chaos of growing up.

But my most favourite part of it was the raw handling of mental health issues, the brutality of it and how it does have an impact on everyone around, as well as the many different reactions towards it that were displayed in the book. It was powerful and absolutely majestic executed. The unfiltered honesty about feelings like loss and living with someone who suffers from bipolar disorder did sting very often, causing my heart to clench and to feel for Amy, Olivia and her family — as well as every Amy, Olivia and their parents outside of those pages.

I would without a doubt recommend everyone to read this book, it’s written with an easy flow and structure and yet captures the complexity of human feelings perfectly.


Thank you to NetGalley and Betsy Lerner and Grove Atlantic for providing me with the opportunity to read the advance copy of this beautiful book. The book is to be publishing on the first of October, 2024.

Shred Sisters' delves deep into the fallout of living alongside a sister with unmanaged mental health issues. Amy's portrayal, though not immediately endearing, is brutally honest. Her struggles to form connections, fueled by the chaos of her sister's crises, feel painfully real. Author Betsy Lerner skillfully captures the suffocating 'collective denial' that permeates their household. Amy's guilt over natural emotions and her warped sense of trust reflect the toll of constant uncertainty. Her overachieving nature masks a lack of social finesse, a byproduct of her tumultuous upbringing. The book shows how familial bonds weaken and its effects. It is very interesting and offers a unique insight.

This books was dark, emotional and yet heartwarming. The topic it covers can be complicated, but the author approaches it in a sensitive yet accurate way. I enjoyed the progression of all characters and the fact that it didn’t just focus on the ‘flaws’ of the characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

An absolute emotional roller coaster - in a good and bad way. Getting insdie the minds of these characters, I knew to expect it. However, the book moved SO FAST. I feel like the pacing could have been a bit better but overall very enjoyable.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner.

How do you love someone who is so difficult to love, especially when that person is your sister. This is a question that Amy has been grappling with her whole life in regards to her sister Ollie. Ollie is beautiful, has everyone under her spell, and is also entirely reckless. Mentally ill, thieving, manipulating, and with little regard for the people who work so hard to care for her, Ollie has made sporadic appearances all throughout Amy's life, and through careful boundaries and loads of caution, Amy continuously works to find a place for Ollie.

I just kept asking myself while reading this, how often this kind of story rings true for people. How do you love someone that continuously hurts you and those around you? But I really enjoyed this story. Even though it's about two sisters, it's really about Amy, and her struggle through life because of, and sometimes in spite of her dysfunctional family.

This is very well written and enjoyable. If you like books about familial relationships, trauma, loss, and love, this is right up your alley.

what an emotional rollercoaster

🪄 <b>✰✰✰.𝟳𝟱 </b> 𐬹 ੈ ˖

⋆𖦹.✧˚ 🥀 gain perspective through Amy Shred's journey as she and her family struggle with the aftermath of events brought on by her troubled and unpredictable sister, Ollie. despite excelling academically, Amy finds it difficult to build meaningful relationships with people due to the emotional scars inflicted by her own family.⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚

we witness the ups and downs throughout her journey in life from childhood to adulthood- be it challenges in her personal life, the ups and downs of her romantic relationships, the pain of losing loved ones, or the complex dynamics of her family.

hey, they are all flawed characters. but truth be told, everyone is flawed. Amy longs for her father's affection, her mother's validation, and her sister's love. some of her actions were questionable, and yes, i'm talking about the Josh incident. but i imagine she did it hoping it was her trying to save Ollie.

i came to appreciate the story, it was not what I expected, but in a good way. it took me a while to process my thoughts after finishing this book, and i don't think i could express my feelings in words. but i commend Betsy Lerner for this complex yet impactful storyline, which shows how a single crack can shatter something as delicate as a family's bond.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, and of course, Betsy Lerner for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Please remember that this opinion is my own. The book will be published on October 1st, 2024 ♡</i>

༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚

3.5 stars!
Overall an enjoyable read that kept me interested. The story depicts a family impacted by mental health difficulties, particularly highlighting elder sister Ollie’s constant Manic/Depressive episodes. The story is told fully from younger sister Amy’s perspective, and Amy herself experiences a lot of anxiety, social difficulties and attachment issues that impact her relationships throughout the book.

I never quite felt we were given opportunity to connect with any of the characters and truly understand them. Amy is an unreliable narrator in that she seems to perceive herself as a victim of her family’s issues, yet appears incapable of reflecting on why anyone (including herself) behaves in the way they do. As readers we are left to draw our own conclusions about why each character’s behaviour patterns occur and what needs these behaviours are meeting for them. Considering that Amy is in therapy for 5 years and we go in session with her, this felt like such a missed opportunity. I wish we could have seen her have some breakthroughs in understanding herself in the context of her family dynamic and to take full responsibility for her poor decision making. I would have liked POVs from Ollie to get another perspective of how the sisters view each other and their influence on the other’s life.

There was a sense of predictability in the repetitive storyline, as it became clear that no characters would experience much development and they would all continue their cycles of destructive behaviour throughout. I know this can sometimes be a realistic experience of mental illness, however if this was the point being made there was a missed opportunity to deliberately reflect on this to drive it home to readers.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for access to this e-arc ahead of its October 2024 release date, in exchange for an honest review. I definitely recommend this book as I think it’s an interesting and engaging portrayal of how mental illness can appear in families. I just think it would have been a lot more powerful of a story if these relationships and behaviour patterns were explored and reflected on rather than just being described. Full disclosure also: I’m a psychologist which does influence why I would have been excited to deeply explore the issues depicted in the book!

This book was good. I loved the passing of time and how we got to see every character grow. I am not going to lie both of the sisters were aggravating some times but I also understand the function for doing that. I also did not like either of the parents. I think the characters were unlikable but that’s also probably how it was supposed to be