Amy Shred is the little sister. Her big sister Olly is magnetic, beautiful and talented. She's also erratic, manic, unpredictable, and mentally ill. Amy grows up in Olly's shadow as Olly appears and disappears from her family's life. Even in adulthood as Amy builds her own life, Olly continues to haunt her as she yearns to be close with her big sister. Both sisters are frustrating in ways but the story of their sisterhood is moving. This book really explores how much our siblings impact us and how we engage with the world.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Press for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book by Betsy Lerner – 4.5 stars rounded up!

Spanning two decades, this is the Shred family. Mom, dad, and sisters Olivia (Ollie) and Amy. The two sisters couldn’t be more different, with Ollie suffering from an as yet undiagnosed mental illness, resulting in erratic and sometimes criminal behavior, bullying, and generally disrupting the entire household. Amy finds her solace in education, believing in facts and science. We watch as Ollie’s illness takes its toll on their relationship as well as on the family as a whole. No one will love you or hurt you more than a sister.

This was a fabulous character-study book on what mental illness can do to relationships and how differently people handle the upset. We follow along as the casualties pile up in the family and how they alternately try to help Ollie and not get sucked into all the resultant drama. The characters feel real – you can see how the parents try to help, but don’t know how best to help; how the sisters want to have a relationship yet can’t have a relationship. I couldn’t put this one down and was totally invested!

Betsy Lerner’s Shred Sisters is a deeply poignant novel that follows a family who is fractured by one sister’s mental illness. From the beginning pages I was so intrigued by the relationship of Amy and Ollie. Amy’s journey of self-discovery over two decades is so well-crafted and felt incredibly intimate. Lerner’s writing is so eloquently done it makes the characters and chaos come to life. The plot was fast paced and messy. One of my favs reads of the year. I love books about sisterhood especially the messy ones. This is a 4.5 star read for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for an advanced copy.

Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner follows Amy, the younger sister to the wild and oftentimes unreliable Olivia. This beautiful story traces Amy’s journey from a hard upbringing to an introspective, oftentimes confused adulthood, all of which is deeply influenced by the chaotic orbit of her elder sister. This book perfectly captures the complexities of sisterhood and family dynamics, and this story was rich with emotional depth and realism.

The writing in Shred Sisters flows so easily, making the transition from Amy’s childhood to her adult years feel natural and well-paced. Lerner’s skill in writing is shown as she delicately balances themes of loss, love, and growth. Despite the heaviness of the book I couldn’t put it down. The prose is accessible yet profound, and I felt so seen by Amy and the well known “confused in my 20s” narrative.

What stands out most about this book for me is its honest depiction of family tensions and the unyielding bond of sisterhood (even when you wish it would yield 🥲). The story doesn’t shy away from the pain and complexities these relationships bring, yet it also highlights the growth that happens with such challenges. This book is a deeply moving experience that mirrors the ups and downs of real life.
Not only is there depth in the family relationships, but also in the relationships Amy has in her adulthood with men and the people she attracts into her life. This also brought another entire level of depth and oftentimes sadness to this book.

I can definitely see this book becoming very popular in the literary fiction world. Shred Sisters is more than just a story about two siblings; it’s a reflection on how the people closest to us shape our lives in innumerable ways.

I loved this book no matter how sad it made me 🥲

This is a family novel about trying to live with a family member with mental health issues. It’s also about the younger sister trying to cope with having an older sister Olivia, or Ollie, take all the parents attention. Amy Shred is four years younger, gets bullied at school. She doesn’t have friends, but instead she is the perfect student who does better after she convinced her parents to send her to a private school for high school. By now, Ollie is spending her first stint in a mental hospital, avoiding jail for stealing a fur coat and silver spoon worth $60,000.

The book is narrated by Amy through her youth then young adult days going to her thirties. Days before she leaves for college her parent announce their divorce. By this time Ollie was running around somewhere in the country. The all make a pact to call one or another if she turns up. The dad has money and makes more excuses for Ollie’s behavior, so that is who she turns to the most.

The book plainly shows how difficult it is for the family members to cope with someone with a mental illness, particularly if there isn’t a medication that helps. Or maybe there is a medication, but they don’t like taking it. And each person is affected in a different way.

An emotional story of two sisters, one who strives for perfection in the shadow of her older sister's erratic behavior. A great debut story of a family struggling to maintain normality amidst the drama and the heartbreak of a child struggling.
I highly recommend this book

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC! 4.5⭐️
I absolutely love lit fic novels about misfit sisters, and I ate this up. I finished it in one sitting! I can relate to Amy, and would love to read anything this author puts out.

"No one will love you more or hurt you more than a sister."

I don't know what it is about stories of sisterhood that have had me in a chokehold lately, but this was exquisite. Lerner weaves a beautifully raw tale of mental illness, complicated family dynamics and love. Amy and Olivia are both so unique in their own right and I enjoyed their backstory and manifestations of and conversations surrounding their shared trauma. I could even get past the slow beginning because of how masterfully Lerner wrote the characters. Even in the dull moments, I was invested. These characters are not perfect by any means and were even unlikeable at times, but that made them so much more raw and real. I cried, I gasped, I wanted to call my own sister and tell her how much I love her. I need Lerner's next novel ASAP.

Shred Sisters provides an intimate look into the lives of Amy and Olivia Shred, through the words of Amy as she watches her family grapple with Olivia's struggle with mental illness. It portrays mental illness and the impact it has on a family dynamic bluntly and honestly.

The writing was engaging. I found myself rooting for Amy throughout and felt a connection to her. The other characters were also well written, especially the main family, whose impacts on each other were evident through the writing. A point I especially enjoyed was watching Amy's image of Olivia grow and change as she matured and went through different stages of life. I think its a testament to true sisterhood, that there was always an element of care and love between them no matter what was happening.

Also, if this book has convinced me of anything, it is that there is no one way to take care of yourself mentally. Medication and Therapy are not the be-all and end-all. However, with the correct support and care for oneself, it is possible to heal and for things to get better.

A really compelling read overall.

Betsy Lerner's Shred Sisters is a poignant exploration of family dynamics, the lasting impact of childhood trauma, and the complexities of sisterhood. Lerner's writing is both raw and evocative, capturing the intensity of the sisters' experiences with sensitivity and depth. The novel delves into themes of grief, guilt, and forgiveness, exploring how these emotions can shape our relationships and our sense of self.

A beautifully written book about mental illness, families, relationships, drug addiction, therapy, death and love. This author knows how to tell a story. I was completely engrossed in a subject and timeframe that normally would not interest me. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

From the opening page, where Amy has to wake up her father because sister Ollie is covered in blood, we are hooked. Shred Sisters is told from Amy's perspective, spanning decades as she narrates her family story. In the 70s, she's the nerdy, bullied, younger sister. Ollie is the beautiful one, the gifted one, the athlete. The wild one. While Amy relays the story, the plot and the family revolve around Ollie, struggling with untreated mental health issues. The family dynamic was to clean up after Ollie, deny anything was amiss, or to go overboard trying to fix her.

I never knew what was coming next in this novel. The plot was messy like a family, each character authentic. It was equal parts absurd and heartbreaking. Amy's matter-of-fact delivery was full of dry humor and detached observations. It was her survival mechanism. She loved her sister, she was jealous of her sister, she was mad at her sister. The portraits of each of the Shred parents rang true. The secondary characters introduced throughout the story felt real. And Ollie danced in and out on whatever whim carried her, leaving crisis after crisis.

"No one will love you more or hurt you more than a sister".

I loved this complicated, smart, funny depiction of siblings, of life, of family, and didn't want it to end. This book had me feeling all the emotions, it was a gift to read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the digital ARC. Shred Sisters was published 10/1/2024.

Such a thought provoking and a compelling read it was. I was honestly hooked from the start and till the end! Will be reading more by this author<3
Thank you soo much netgalley for the e-arc!!

Shred Sisters is a book that may captivate some readers while leaving others struggling to stay engaged. For me, it took a while to connect with the story, and I found myself losing interest about a third of the way through. The narrative follows a family, specifically two sisters, over the span of about twenty years, with Amy as the central voice. Amy is the “good” little sister, longing for more out of life, while her older sister, Olivia (Ollie), is unpredictable and requires much more attention. The parents, seemingly detached, assume money can solve Olivia’s mental health struggles, while Amy’s needs are largely overlooked.

The characters in Shred Sisters aren't particularly likable, which I didn’t mind, as it lent the story an intentional and authentic feel. This isn’t a book for those seeking happy endings. It feels almost like reading Amy’s diary—raw, honest, and emotionally charged. While the emotional delivery of the narrative is strong, I found the book ultimately wasn’t for me. The character-driven plot can be upsetting and frustrating at times, and Amy’s boring moments seem to reflect her own feelings of being overlooked and wanting more from her sister. The choice to keep the narrative solely from Amy’s perspective, without much from Ollie’s, also felt intentional, but it left me wanting more insight.

The story becomes somewhat repetitive as the characters remain stuck in their cycles, with little development. While this may mirror the reality of mental illness and family dynamics for some, I think there was a missed opportunity to explore these points more deeply and convey the repetitive nature with more purpose. The narrative’s tendency to jump around was a detriment for me, and while I appreciated the raw depiction of family relationships, I would’ve liked to see more growth in the characters—especially Amy. A dual perspective with Ollie could have added another layer of depth.

In the end, Shred Sisters offers a complex, emotional exploration of family dynamics, addiction, and mental illness, but it felt plotless at times and too predictable for my taste. Still, I can see how this book might resonate with readers who appreciate raw, character-driven stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for providing me with an ARC.

Please look at the trigger warnings before jumping into this book!

This story was truly moving, and it took me a while to master the courage to flip the pages of it.
Shred Sisters discusses the rawness of family, relationships, and friendships. It also talks about the effect of mental health issues on life in general.
This book was truly eye-opening and authentically looked into life matters, with messy characters going through life and hard times.
My only complaint is that at times the story seemed to lack details on specific parts that I think would have been interesting, whether that is for how Amy thought or for mundane tasks that happened in her life.

SHRED SISTERS was a perfect novel, but I feel like I would have loved and appreciated it more if I had a sister! However, it is still extremely relatable to anyone who has dealt with a loved one with mental health issues and the feelings of exasperation that come with it. I really enjoyed the characterization, and while the story seemed to fly through decades in a bit of a disjointed way, I appreciated following these two sisters (who couldn't be more different) throughout their lives. As Amy, the younger and more responsible sister, learns to navigate the world her older sister, Ollie, is in and out of treatment, in and out of her family's life, and affecting relationships between Amy's parents and herself. It's a beautifully written novel with out a lot of plot, but fantastic literary fiction vibes.

Shred Sisters is really a,story about a family which has a member who is contending with mental illness. This book illustrates how people appear when young and the development of mental illness and shows how families perceive their family member with mental illness and how the person with mental illness contends it themselves - and it's not necessarily positive.

Shred Sisters illustrates the perception of life of a sister whose older sister has mental illness and how it wreaks havoc in lives. It also shows the progression of mental illness over time and that despite everything, love still exists.

Beautifully written heart wrenching a story of family torn apart by mental illness.Two sisters coping with life with each other Ollie in and out of mental wards causing as much havoc for her parents and sister that she can & her sister Amy the good one trying to find her place in the midst of her sisters turmoil.A book that kept me turning the pages as the story unfolds.#netgalley #shredsisters.

I liked the book and the topic of mental health. I enjoyed the main character telling us how her sister’s bipolar disorder affected the whole family and I liked how the ending wrapped up.

The Shred Sisters is a dysfunctional family story without the humor that could have been a boon to this one. While the novel begins with a heavy focus on Olivia, the mentally ill sister and much of the book really speaks to the effect she has on other family members, the meat of the novel is from the POV of Amy. In great part, this novel is plotless.