Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner is a raw, beautifully messy story about the complexities of human relationships—especially sisterhood and family dynamics. The book centers around Amy and Olivia, two sisters who couldn’t be more different, yet whose lives are inextricably linked by their shared history and the rippling effects of mental illness within their family.

Lerner does an incredible job crafting well-rounded, deeply flawed characters. Amy and Olivia’s polarity brings tension and depth to the story, making you feel for both of them in very different ways. It’s an unflinching look at the chaos and tenderness of sisterhood, mental health, and how love can feel both like a burden and a lifeline. Raw, poignant, and compelling—this one hits hard in all the right ways!

Shred Sisters is about how familial love makes bonds that defies logic especially when there are mental health issues involved. The family dynamics of the Shred family has always been full of highs and lows, although the sisters loved each other they fought a lot and were quite often horrible to each other. Ollie has an undiagnosed mental health issue and refuses treatment, and her behavior will impact all of those around her and estrangely enough it will be the glue that kept the family together until it didn't anymore. Amy felt always left in a second plan, her low self-esteem and difficulty to engage with people also made her search for therapy but she also makes some questionable choices, it feels like a cycle that repeats itself until it's finally broken bringing sadness and joy at the same time. Shred Sisters is an insight in family dynamics that leaves a lot of food for thought. Highly recommended!

Oh, this was an emotional rollercoaster and how I felt for poor Amy!
This follows Amy and her family, how she feels never good enough for her mother and always in her sister's shadow.

“No one will love you or hurt you more than a sister”

That quote will stick with me forever now and I have sisters also.

I loved this story and I think if you have sisters you might want to read this one! It reminded me of Blue Sisters by Coco which is another brilliant book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC.

"Shred Sisters" by Betsy Lerner is a beautifully written novel that delves into the complexities of family dynamics and mental health. The story revolves around two sisters, Amy and Olivia, who couldn't be more different. Amy is the quintessential good girl, always eager to please and living a cautious life. In stark contrast, Olivia is a rebellious spirit, constantly at odds with the world and struggling with her mental health.

The narrative spans several decades, offering a poignant look at how Olivia's actions disrupt the family dynamic and impact the lives of those around her. However, it's not just Olivia who faces challenges; many characters in the book grapple with their own mental health issues, adding depth and realism to the story.

Lerner's writing is both delicate and powerful, capturing the essence of how people with the same upbringing can lead vastly different lives. The book thoughtfully explores themes of health, addiction, and family relationships, portraying the loneliness and the tendency to overlook problems rather than confront them.

I found the journey of the sisters' lives compelling and relatable. "Shred Sisters" is a wise and touching narrative that will resonate with readers who appreciate personal stories. If you enjoy books that offer deep insights into human relationships and mental health, this one is definitely worth a read.

read this in almost one sitting! a phenomenal character driven debut, shred sisters documents a decades long journey of sisterhood, mental health, loss and love.

familial neglect is something amy shred is all too familiar with due to her older sister’s erratic behavior. watching her sister frequently light the shortening fuse of her family bonds and existing in the smallest space possible is her norm and it isn’t until well into her 20s that amy is able to ease into her own exploration of self and navigate the complexities of love and relationships.

i would have loved an olllie pov or a little more clarity on her experiences. while it’s easy to dislike her character for all the hardship she causes, it’s important not to dismiss the lack of accountable support she had from her parents and the way the mental health institutions from the 70s/80s era completely failed her. ollie was a victim to her illness as much as those around were victims to her episodes.

thank you so much for the opportunity to arc review a copy of shred sisters!

Such an insightful and thought provoking story. It's really hard for me to put into words how I feel about this book. There are so many thoughts that went through my head in the end but, at the same the simple writing allows readers to form their own opinions on the sisters and their family dynamics. The parallels between Amy and Ollis and how they treat each other was so interesting to me, especially with the mental health aspect. While I felt empathy in some of the situations, I also felt frustration in others. Shred Sisters is an insightful and realistic look at how mental health can affect family dynamics which so many families go through in their day-to-day life.

As someone without any sisters, I felt this story slightly more challenging to relate to on a personal level but deeply moving still the same. I can seen how this book would connect with and resonate with women who have complicated and close sister relationships. However, I felt that the topic of mental illness and the complexities this introduces into a family dynamic to be intriguing and an important conversation. I appreciated how flawed and perfectly human the characters were, yet found the flitting back and forth narrative jumps jarring and left me struggling to stay in the story. That being said, I enjoyed the melancholic vibe and writing style of the author and would read more from her on a different topic/subject matter.

Shred Sisters uses a formula I’ve seen before. In books about two sisters, one sister (usually the older one) is wild, rebellious, and unstable. The other sister (usually the younger one) is quiet and well-behaved. Typically, these books are told from the perspective of the “good” sister.

Formulaic as it may be, I was really enjoying Shred Sisters… at first. The writing hooked me from the very beginning- a good sign. I liked reading about the tumultuous relationship between Amy and Ollie. In the beginning I sympathized so much with Amy that I was determined not to like Ollie, but she ended up being my favorite character. I just couldn’t help loving the girl who used the alias Addie Loggins when she got caught shoplifting. That being said, it took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out the first part of the book is set in the 70s.

Anyway, the book started to lose me when Amy grew up and started dealing with her own problems. It turns out that Amy is just kind of boring when Ollie’s not around. I didn’t care about Amy’s work drama or her failed marriages. The story grew dull and monotonous, and ultimately I was left feeling disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

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

I'm a simple person. You give me a book about family and sisterhood, and I will always eat it up.

Shred Sisters has no actual plot - it is told from Amy's point of view, the younger sister, about her older sister, Ollie, and how her family revolved around her since they were kids until they grew older. I understand why people might dislike Amy, but from her point of view, I also understand how it is not easy for her, watching her sister make mistakes and feeling like her parents still prefer Ollie over her. But on the other hand, Ollie had struggled a lot with her mental health and did not have the privileges that Amy had.

I think the book would have been better if everything was told from two different points of view since Ollie and Amy are so different. I understand this is not an easy thing for authors, but I believe it could have made the story more meaningful. It might sound a little biased but take Blue Sisters for example.

This was a quick read and while I enjoyed it, I think it is mostly because of my preference and I am not sure if others would like it as much as I do.

Thank you NetGalley as always and Grove Atlantic for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a good introspective book! I love the style of following the youngest sisters diary and seeing how her sister had affected her and the family through life, and how mental illness affects everyone. It was full of emotion, and made you sad, happy, and feel for our characters I liked this book a lot

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

Shred Sisters possesses a very intriguing concept and writing - it’s almost written like Amy’s diary as we get to unravel how the mental illness of her older sister affected Amy as the youngest in the family.

I think Lerner did a wonderful job at portraying the effects, trauma and self-denial of dealing with a family member who is both destructive and unstable. I could feel Amy’s internal rage and sadness at being put through the pain of losing both of her parents to the constant care of her older sister and how it affected her adult self and relationships.

The main reason why i think it didn’t quite do it for me was because i started reading this novel with the expectation that, by the end, we would be greeted with a happy conclusion to Amy’s story - which did not happen. Olivia didn’t repent for all of the things she took from her family and Amy remained denied of an apologize from both of her parents. Maybe that was the whole point of the book - it’s definitely quite a realistic ending.

Shred Sisters is, as advertised, a book about sisterhood, but it's also about how mental illness affects a family. Told from the perspective of Amy, the youngest, we follow her relationship with her older sister Ollie from childhood into adulthood. Amy is hopeful but realistic, often frustrated at how much money her parents spend attempting to stabilize Ollie.

The story is fine, authentic but not innovative. At times, I was unsure when in time this story took place--there were anachronisms that took me out of the story (which may be the point, maybe I missed something).

A novel which might well be painful to read for those who can relate to Amy, a glass child living in the shadow of Ollie, her sister who is the blazing star who torpedoes herself and their family. This feels like a memoir-there's an undercurrent of emotion that you might feel if you've lived this story with a sibling (and whether you are older or younger.). There's a vast number of books about dysfunctional families where one member's mental illness impacts the others as well but this one, this one is especially pointed. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

Shred Sister was an engaging novel I looked forward to opening each time. Amy is empathetic and engaging as the narrator of family dysfunction and constant crisis. Ollie, the older sister, makes surprise moves constantly, adding suspense to this intense story. Overall, I thought about the sisters and my sister's relationship (though it wasn't comparable). I highly recommend this well-written family saga.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

This is a sad story of a broken family. Mom, Dad and two sisters. The older sister has severe mental health issues. The fallout of these issues ends up affecting the rest of the family.

The tagline for this book is:
“No one will love you more or hurt you more than a sister.”
In relation to this story, it is very true. The storyline shows us this from beginning to end.

Without being an expert on mental health, the character of the older sister, Ollie, seems to be accurately depicted. My heart broke for her. Her insides must have been a constant hurricane. Her actions and thoughts have no consideration of consequences or repercussions. And, my heart broke for Amy, the younger sister, whose heart was broken, over and over.

The writing is emotional and raw. At times the plot seems slightly disjointed. I'm not sure if this is an editing problem or if it is a “special effect” to demonstrate the nature of the story. I tend to believe that it was to match the rhythm of Ollie's and Amy's lives. I found it a little disconcerting.

I found the ending to be abrupt, not satisfying. I enjoyed the first part of the story when the girls were young and Ollie's problems were already an issue. But as I read further I started to feel disconnected from the characters. For me, it was just ok.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

I am super thankful that I received the e-book as an ARC! My library ended up obtaining a copy early so I finished it in physical format.

Overall, I give this 4 stars, maybe 4.5. I absolutely loved this and it brought out so many emotions in me. I’ve been crying since I finished it a good 10 minutes ago now. I loved following Amy’s life, and I thought the portrayal of Ollie’s disorder was very accurate and real for real life.

My only criticism is I thought there were a few lovers in Amy’s life that were unnecessary to the story. I think we really only needed to see her relationships with Josh and Marc, and maybe Ravi at the end just for the sake of an ending. I thought TJ was a weird addition, as well as Ian being mentioned for like, half a page at most.

Still, overall very good story! I will be recommending this to everyone i know.

Shred Sisters offers a profound exploration of family dynamics and mental illness, particularly through the lens of sibling relationships. While the story effectively highlights the deep bond between Amy and Ollie, I found Amy’s perspective somewhat limiting and at times frustrating. Although the book starts strong, the second half felt a bit slow and repetitive, focusing too much on Amy's everyday struggles rather than delving deeper into the complexities of both sisters, especially Ollie's challenges. I craved more exploration of their therapy sessions and the intricacies of their trauma. Overall, the book tackles important themes, but it didn't fully meet my expectations. I'd still recommend it to those of you looking for more sibling-centric books!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

*Shred Sisters* by Betsy Lerner is an emotionally rich and intimate novel that delves into the complicated dynamics between two sisters, Amy and Olivia (nicknamed Ollie). The story spans two decades, chronicling Amy’s struggles with her older sister’s erratic behavior, caused by undiagnosed mental illness, and how it impacts their family.

I have been blessed with a sister who is my best friend. My daughter, much to her dismay, wasn’t blessed with a sister at all. Some sister relationships are fraught with drama. Betsy Lerner explores a complex sister relationship in depth in her upcoming novel Shred Sisters. Amy is the younger of the Shred sisters, but because of Olivia’s mental illness and all of the chaos that results, she often feels like the older or the only sister. From a very young age Olivia fights against her sister and her parents. She is first a free spirit and later in spite of or even because of treatment mentally unstable. Olivia refuses to accept the different diagnoses and medicines. Ultimately she rolls in and out of her family’s life at will. Most of her life Amy feels overlooked or challenged.
Amy struggles to function in the world (don’t we all at times?), and the reader can easily see the impact of Olivia here. She longs to be a stable professional with a stable marriage and family and, perhaps, to get the attention and respect of her parents in the process. She just struggles to get there. She works hard to be a researcher and can’t advance; she chooses poorly in relationships; and always, always - Olivia shows up and wreaks havoc in her fragile world. She perseveres; she sees a therapist; she doesn’t even necessarily blame Olivia, but life feels difficult. Olivia has her own struggles. Beginning with family rebellion, bad mental health care scars her early. Her difficulties are heartbreaking as her family wants so badly to do the right things for her. Luckily, she doesn’t disappear altogether, but her returns home generally raise expectations and lead to further heartache. I often found myself scared for her. Amy and Olivia’s parents battle struggles of their own - ultimately unable to meet Olivia’s needs and often unaware of Amy’s - their marriage doesn’t survive the trauma. Lerner creates complex, believable characters, and this reader felt their joys and sorrows. Through them she explores the impact of one difficult family member on them all. She creates a surrounding cast of folks who are also well developed and who help to highlight all that the Shreds have been through. Lerner is a compassionate writer as she shows us a world of broken people; she invites us to offer compassion.
Ultimately, Lerner celebrates the strength of this pair of sisters - Amy and Olivia Shred. Without giving anything away, the novel does end on notes of hope for these two and their parents. Lerner doesn’t offer a magical resolution for anyone, but she allows for them to see that relationships, therapy, and sisterly love, can prevail over a host of sorrows. I am reminded to be grateful for my sister - for the love and support that she offers me when others cannot. I am reminded that everyone may be just a little bit broken inside. When you get the chance read Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner - she will challenge you perceptions in a very good way.

This is a book primarily about the bond between two sisters. The older sister, Ollie, is the golden child that holds all the parents hope for success. The younger, shy sister, Amy, is studious a bit of an outcast and idolizes her sister. As they mature, you learn that Ollie has a mental illness, possibly bipolar disorder and creates havoc in the family’s life during her manic episodes. She spends time in a facility but refuses to take her medication consistently. It’s amazing she doesn’t get into drugs or do significant harm. When she comes back to earth, the parents are grateful to have her back in the fold and consistently lied to themselves that she’s all better now. Her sister Amy knows better. This is a story that is filled with honesty. It’s difficult to ferret out exactly how Ollie’s behavior impacted Amy’s emotional fitness. I was completely wrapped up in this book. The ending was a little flat.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an advanced reader’s copy.