There was a lot pulling me towards this novel. The minute I read about it on Netgalley (where I got my copy courtesy of Grove Atlantic) I was drawn by the story of two sisters because I am fascinated by sibling relationships and all the forms they can take over a lifetime. In this novel, the story is told from the viewpoint of Amy Shred, the younger sibling to Olivia Shred whose personality and eventual mental illness dominates the dynamics in the entire family. The questions propelling the reader through: will Amy surface and claim her own issues and self by the end of the story? Will Olivia ever reach a point of relative stability?

I found a lot to appreciate in this novel: fine writing, well-drawn characters, and a real feel for pacing. Betsy Lerner's Amy is the kind of narrator you root for until you realize she is having a hard time facing how her own responses -- shutting down, turning away, making questionable decisions -- are coloring the narrative. I empathized. It is tough to be the forgotten sibling. It is tough not to feel resentment on her behalf towards Olivia who sucks the oxygen out of any room she is in. Still, my sympathy for Amy ebbed on occasion -- the remoteness and self-sabotage was just not always fun to be around even as a reader. And we are with her for twenty years.

I found it fascinating to observe Olivia through the eyes of her younger sister who is in grade school/middle school when the book opens, and how this view evolves as Amy herself comes of age. I thought it was striking when Amy complains at one point only to be told by her mother "who said things were fair?" Olivia controls the household. Even when she runs away for longer and longer stretches, the attention of her family remains on her and what might happen next. As Olivia grows older and her illness asserts itself, Amy gives us what that looks and feels like to her and how it affects her parents' decisions and behaviors towards both of them, and each other.

My main concern with this novel was that, fairly or not, I was always waiting for it to truly begin, to feel it turn towards the change that we are inherently promised with any piece of fiction. Amy is stuck for a long time. Her relationships with others and with her therapist are used to show us her "freeze" response to threats as well as experiments with self-sabotage. Despite eventual success in her career and attracting the kind of husband that delights her mother, she allows or seeks disruptive forces. At one point, one of her closest friends is an unstable addict who, like Olivia, can walk into a room and disrupt everything. Olivia herself comes and goes in Amy's life. It just felt very late in the game when the Amy took that turn I was looking for. But then, as I think about it now, most of us never make a clean break with our families, our pasts, and how we carry their imprint into the future with us. Maybe it is enough just to see it all clearly, as Amy does, and carry it with her forward into whatever the future brings.

The title and cover caught my eye, and the writing held my attention - nonstop, in fact. I have read a couple of books recently that had the word "sisters" in the title, and I've liked both of them. After having the fortune of reading this via NetGalley, I subsequently purchased a copy to give as a gift to another avid reader.

You don't have to be a sister to enjoy this book about the relationship between two sisters, four years apart in age, from an upper middle class family in Northeastern USA. Older sister Olivia (called Ollie) is quirky at first but increasingly descends into a world of mental illness. Set in the 1970's- 1980's, modern-day readers will know that these are decades of less knowledge about and less acceptance of mental illness. The Picasso-esque cover design hints at the subject matter, and although Ollie is the undiagnosed mentally ill family member, her life has an effect on the parents as well as younger sister Amy. I think Gloria Gaynor's 70's era disco song "I Will Survive" would be a good anthem for Amy.

This is a powerful book ! I highly recommend it.

Why aren’t more people talking about Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner!?!

Saw this on @netgalley and I love books about sisters and the cover jumped out at me and was so glad I got approved.

Then life happened and I was working through a backlog of galleys 🤪 When it made the @center4fiction debut novel list I knew I needed to prioritize again.

Shred Sisters follows the sisters Ollie and Amy who couldn’t be more different. Ollie is charismatic, beautiful, reckless, and solipsistic. She is also mentally ill battling what her family eventually thinks is severe bipolar disorder. Amy is the younger sister, a bookworm, plain, late bloomer, who is forced into playing the role of the stable one for herself and her family.

The family dynamics in this book are so real. While I’m lucky to have sisters who are healthy, stable, and safe (and I know where they are physically in the world), the dynamics of competition, parents with their own issues, and challenges of differing life choices were so compelling and rang true to my own experiences.

I lived that Lerner also explores the issues of family choices of marriage, divorce, single womanhood and child bearing in this novel. Amy’s reflections on her choices in her life and career over marriage and children made me teary.

The prose was so precise and vivid. I am very glad I read this gorgeous and dynamic novel on family, sisterhood, and growing into adults though separate always in some way entwined.

It made me very grateful for my sisters @sar_restless_ricks and @tmillii and reminded me how lucky we are to have each other even when our relationships have been rocky and we’ve made choices for ourselves that we didn’t always understand. I know that through it all we are in each others corners.

Now go read this book please! Also tell me your favorite books about sisters!

Thank you @netgalley and @groveatlantic for the e-galley!

Shred Sisters was a tumultuous exploration of coming of age, growing up with rocky relationships and non-existent role models. Some of the negative events in Amy’s life I found predictable, others were a pleasant surprise.
I enjoyed the writing style which evoked a depressive feeling throughout the book, no real highs or lows but consistent. Every relationship Amy had in her life is flawed whether by her own making or both parties, but this made for an interesting read.

Delighted to include this title in the October edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national lifestyle and culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

Sister stories are pretty popular now. I did enjoy this story. It's more of a telling story since she shares pretty much her life from a young girl to mid thirties, but I felt like I knew the characters well enough. It's the story of Olivia Shred, beautiful and smart, and very unstable. As a teen, her behavior becomes dangerous and erratic, and so her parents put her in an institute. This is about the early 70's. Younger sister Amy is left at home, trying to not cause any waves. Her parents had so much to handle with Olivia. Amy grows up this way, never wanting to cause any problems. She finally comes into herself in her 20's and begins to deal with her own issues, as well as how to handle a sister who causes so much drama, but never seems to face the consequences. It's the story of a family dealing with mental health, and how it affects the ones who love the person with mental health. It moves fast, full of plot, but also character development. One star off because I felt like the ending was too open to me. It ended a but abruptly. I would have preferred a more tied up ending.

I didn't think I would enjoy this book so much! Its a quick 260 page full of loss, finding oneself, and sister dynamic that made me think about my own sisters relationship. i would definitely recommend! If you enjoyed blue sisters by coco mellors you would like this one.

A multi generational story about sisters and mothers is almost always a win for me. My only issue with this book is that the writing didn't always work for me, at some points the act of reading it felt laborious, but the plot was so gripping I couldn't put it down. The differences between Amy and Olivia were stark, and I actually felt for both of them which is unusual for me in stories with multiple points of view. I think the author did a great job balancing perspectives and keeping me interested in both stories.

A haunting, magnetic coming of age novel about a pair of sisters, vastly different in every way. Older sister Olly is alluring and charming. She is also deeply troubled, struggling with mental health as she comes and goes from the family. Younger sister Amy is quieter, likes to study, and finds some peace in facts because they never let her down. Feels like an exploration of mental illness, sisterhood- and the unbreakable bonds sister share. I adore books that don't hesitate to show the messier side of familial relationships, and this hit the mark.

Thank you to NG and the publisher for the arc.

I love a story about sisters, so I knew this was a must-read. This story follows the tumultuous life of the Shred family, often at the mercy of one of the daughter's (Ollie) struggle with authority, mental health, and addiction. Told from the perspective of her sister (Amy), it highlights the ways in which this family was shaped by Ollie's actions. It's also a coming of age story, following Amy closely as she tries to build a life of her own, but ends up in her own tumultuous situations with partners and friends.

Beautifully written, heartbreaking, and heartwarming. This isn't necessarily a book that will make you sob, but it has a lot of tension and family drama. I enjoyed my time reading this, even when at times my heart was heavy with pain for this cast of characters.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic for providing a review copy through NetGalley. It took me a bit longer than I wanted to read it, but I am so glad I did.

A story with two captivating sisters as the main characters. Almost entirely narrated by the younger sister, the plot brings out conflicting emotions, struggles, and chaotic themes that surprisingly manage to resonate with the reader. I found the choice to use a classic storyline but essentially focus on the experiences of two sisters, who, despite loving each other, are also distant, to be interesting and likely what made this story such an enjoyable read.

I think the ending felt a bit rushed compared to the rest of the story, but not so much as to make it terrible. All in all, I consider it a good read, featuring characters who make questionable choices, strong themes that emerge through the narrative, and a unique style

Shred Sisters is a gem of a book. It dives into the complex and raw bond of sisterhood, complete with highs, lows, and everything in between. The authentic portrayal of mental health challenges (bipolar disorder, depression) and personal struggles added a serious layer of depth and realism to the story.

The Shred family's story is complex and winding, spanning over two decades. This long arc allows for rich character development and an in-depth exploration of the intricate dynamics within the family. Most of all, I found the sisters' journey to self-discovery incredibly human and relatable. Watching them struggle, get lost and eventually find themselves and each other felt genuine and satisfying. Lerner does a fantastic job of capturing the imperfect in the day-to-day.

Overall, if you’re into heartfelt stories with a strong focus on sisterhood, mental health struggles and personal growth, Shred Sisters is a must-read.

✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.

This book is about two sisters who couldn’t be more different if they tried. Told from the perspective of the calm nerd, and looking at her life from childhood to adulthood.

The book immediately starts really aggressive and angry towards the wilder sister (Ollie), and speaks of her with a lot of resentment. This could be intended as a teenage voice but it just didn’t inspire me to continue. There is also one chapter where Nazi Germany or even specific Nazis are mentioned at a weird number of times and it really took me out of the writing and the story. That amount in just one chapter just came across as weird to me.

As children the mother is made out to be almost cartoonishly evil in the way she handles her wild daughter, and the main character uses up the sympathy I have for her really quickly with the “no one sees me cause I’m so skinny and smart” thing. I’m sure you feel that way but I don’t need to be reminded that often.

As they get older we keep focusing on the boring sister and it is just that. Boring. Her life just kind of happens to her and she goes along with it without much emotion. I ended up going on here to see if I was accidentally reading a YA novel. There are elements of missed potential for both sisters that could be really interesting to explore but it doesn’t. We are introduced to the family and then life just happens. Our main character more like a passive bystander to her own story. Even when shit hits the fan it doesn’t get explored at all or mentioned beyond the chapter.

This. This is a fiction path you have to take, also knowing it reads like a memoir. A path involving two very different sisters that you love to hate or hate to love at any given time. A raw glimpse into the lives of a dysfunctional family dynamic that could really be anyone’s family. This is a staccato masterpiece with the ability to let you savor real moments and intricately build up the characters of each sister. Choppy bits and pieces of glimpses into life events both large and small. A reminder of our individual uniqueness, experiences in life, battles with mental health, and doing the best we all can with what we’ve got. The fine details of this - a chef’s kiss! I cannot recommend this more!

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