
Member Reviews

Once I started reading, I immediately loved this book.
If you like character rich books with family dynamics, this book will work for you. It has alternative POV for each of the 3 Blue sisters and I felt for each of them as they grieved their forth sister.
It was often uncomfortable to watch them as they made bad decisions but it felt very human. I kept wondering how it was going to wrap up and the ending was perfect. I think this will be one that will stick with me for a while.
Thank you to NetGalley the publisher for the arc.

Essentially Little Women, but if Beth died at the beginning and with more drugs and absent parents. A raw and unflinching look at grief and the way each of the Blue sisters handles the loss of their sister, Nicky, whose death shattered them all. It's painful and heartbreaking and messy. It isn't an easy ready but it sure is a memorable one.
Many thanks to Random House Ballantine & Netgalley for the ARC.

Blue Sisters was not an easy read, but it was one that kept me coming back to it. Following these women in the wake of their sister’s death was fascinating and heartbreaking. Lots of trauma in this one, but it is an honest look at a family in turmoil and the aftermath of grief. The writing was strong and the relationships felt authentic. I do wish the relationship with their parents was developed a bit more as that is so foundational in family dynamics and felt a bit lacking here. 3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.
Didn't know what to expect. But was pleasantly surprised. Yes worth the read. Yes I would recommend.

This was a unique read for me in several ways. The book description states upfront that there is drug use and addiction; this is a subject I often avoid - the description of drug use usually causes a physical, stomach churning reaction in me. The description of “hard partying” can also be troubling. However, the entire premise of the book sounded fascinating, and I chose to power through. The reality is that those things are very necessary to the story, and while there’s an awareness of addiction issues throughout, it’s not so graphic as to be problematic (for me). Also, boxing, a sport I won’t watch, figures into the story of the sister who became my favorite.
A wonderful study of sister relationships, the push-me/pull-you of love, independence, and family history. A remote mother lends more to the dynamic of the three sisters who remain after their fourth sister dies of an overdose. Almost all current issues are touched upon - from LGBTQ to women’s health to addiction; and why wouldn’t they be? You have four dynamic characters, so well-done as to make the reader certain she knows them in real life.
Without giving away more of the story line, or repeating what’s already out there as a description, let me just say the thing that causes me to recommend this book the most is that I finished it a day and a half ago, yet several times I have found myself wondering what/where the sisters are doing now. I’ve wished to pick up the book and check in on them. Highly recommended for those who love family dynamics books.

‘As long as you are alive, it is never too late to be found.’
The Blue sisters are very different and have experienced their own personal battles, but they all share one major loss, their sister Nicky.
Avery is the eldest and incredibly smart. She’s a recovering addict, but got clean and ended up completing law school. She now lives in London with her wife.
Bonnie is an ex pro boxer. Quiet and strong willed. She now lives in LA and works as a bouncer.
Lucky is the tallest at 5’11. She became a model at age 15 and currently lives in Paris. Beauty is a source of income and shame for her.
And Nicky, the most girl. She always had dreams of becoming a mother, but after a diagnosis that left her infertile, she became addicted to her pain medication and died at age 27.
The sisters did not have an easy life growing up. They lived in a two bedroom apartment with their parents, and their father is an alcoholic.
After a year of grieving, the three sisters travel back to their home in NY when they receive an email from their mother letting them know they are moving and need to come get Nicky’s things.
This book is very deep and heartbreaking. We follow Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky throughout the book and experience their fears and pains along with them. The authors writing is so beautiful, I was hooked from the first paragraph.

Blue Sisters - This is my book club selection for the month. I really enjoyed it and I think if you have sisters you will absolutely relate and adore this emotionally charged exploration of sisterhood, family dynamics, and the complexities of grief. At the heart of the novel are three sisters, each living in different cities and following their own paths, as they grapple with the first anniversary of their youngest sister’s death. When their parents decide to sell the two-bedroom family home where they all grew up, the sisters are tasked to figure out what to do, and this reignites unresolved tensions and pushes them to unite against their parents’ decision to sell the house.
Their reunion in New York brings long-buried emotions to the surface: anger, sorrow, and long-held secrets threaten to unravel the fragile bond the sisters have maintained for years. As the narrative unfolds, readers witness the intensity of their struggles, with each sister hiding a deep sense of brokenness. The question becomes whether they can let go of their past, heal their wounds, and rediscover trust in one another.
Mellors masterfully portrays the delicate balance of love and resentment that often exists within families, particularly when faced with tragedy. The Blue Sisters is an intimate look at the power of sisterhood, exploring whether these women can learn to lean on one another and move forward, or if the weight of their unresolved issues will ultimately tear them apart.

I could read about the Blue sisters forever ♾️ 🥹. Coco has a way of writing such captivating, complex, delicate, and nuanced characters that is completely engrossing. The prose is literally so stunning, I was immediately drawn in from the prologue until the very last chapter! The ending couldn’t have been more perfect. I annotated so much in this book and that speaks volumes!
I felt like I knew each sister like my own, and we got to see from their POV’s their flaws and stories unfold throughout the novel. Perfectly human with all the flaws that come with it, this was such a beautiful character-driven book. The center of this book is grief of a sister lost, addiction, chronic illness, and complex family dynamics. There is also immense healing ❤️🩹, growth 💐, and of course sisterhood 🫂.
As someone who is extremely close with their sister, this book holds a special place in my heart 🩵.
Recommend for those who love Little Women and Hello Beautiful!

(Thanks to @penguinrandomhouse #gifted.) I found Coco Mellors’ debut 𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘯 to be excellent, and I liked her sophomore novel, 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦, every bit as much. It’s an emotional story about a family of four sisters all born in a span of seven years. They grew up with a fairly privileged NYC lifestyle, but their parents were also largely absent. This left the eldest, Avery, to shepherd her sisters Bonnie, Nicky and Lucky. Their bond was tight, but their need to flee was almost as strong. They all left the nest at nearly the same time, veering in wildly different directions.
Years later, what haunts these women are the twin specters of addiction and death. Their father had long been an alcoholic and in one way or another each of the sisters was touched by addiction. Most devastating to them all was the tragic death of one of their own. We meet the three remaining sisters in the wake of that death. They all blame themselves and and none can bear to share their sorrow.
This is a story of unconditional love, and the strain both grief and addiction can put on that love. Similar to 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 by Ann Napolitano, these sisters are everything to each other, even as their choices cause pain and heartache. Like the Blue sisters, my own family of four siblings lost one of our own far too young. We didn’t suffer addiction issues, but the unrelenting grief, the pulling away? Those were spot on in this book. 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 is a beautiful story of sisterhood in all its messy forms and it’s one I know I’ll remember for a very long time. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

“Blue Sisters” by Coco Mellors tells the tale of three sisters in the aftermath of their fourth sister’s death. A world class boxer, a model and a lawyer, the trio all navigate the family grief quite differently.
Told in alternating POVs, we get to see each character’s flaws and crumbling lives they try to hide from each other. The book covers the need to blame ourselves for the unthinkable but how none of us are that important. It also looks at how you can take a lot of wrong turns and end up in the right place.
Some stand out quotes:
”As long as you’re alive it’s not too late to be found.”
”Find out what makes you happy, then go fucking do it.”
“Guilt was for something you’d done—you could feel guilty for a certain behavior or action but still fundamentally know you were a good person—but shame was deeper, shame was for who you were.”
"Ain’t nothin’ to it but to do it.”
I came in with high expectations for this book after all the buzz it’s been getting and felt it fell a bit flat. I would have liked more interactions with the sisters. I also felt the book was missing some depth and had trouble connecting with the unlikeable characters.
Thanks @randomhousepublishinggroup and @ballantine for the @netgalley ARC in exchange for my honest opinion! Had to get a physical copy too when I saw it was the September BOTM. Excited to read Coco’s debut novel!

i have never held such high hopes for a book, and it fully delivered. as soon as i read the description, i knew i needed to read it immediately and i knew it would hit hard, being the oldest of four sisters. coco truly hit every mark, this book is incredible. i cannot wait to annoy everyone around me and talk about this book for the next year+

If you like "Succession," “The Most Fun we Ever Had” by Claire Lombardo, and Alcoholics Anonymous in fiction, you might enjoy “Blue Sisters.’ This was a rare multiple-perspectives novel where I felt equally invested in all three sisters' stories (including the fourth, Nicky). The aspects I enjoyed the most about this novel were the amazing characterization of each sister, I felt like I knew them each so clearly, and the character development that all three sisters undergo and help each other achieve throughout the story. Although some conversations at the end felt a little trite or cliche, the story resolved so beautifully and I highly recommend picking this up!

“𝘈 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥? 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘺. 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵.”
Avery, Bonnie and Lucky are each coping with the sudden death of their sister Nicky in different ways. Avery, a recovering addict, is a lawyer living in London who struggles with impulse control. Bonnie is a gifted boxer who left the sport and Lucky is a model who also struggles with addiction issues.
They are all struggling in their personal lives to make sense of the loss of their sister. Mellors’ writing is beautiful and flowing, and kept me very engaged through the interconnected plots. The dialogue between the sisters is wonderful, and captures both the love and the fights that I think most siblings can relate to.
Many thanks to the publisher Ballantine Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Blue Sisters is the story of three sisters in the aftermath of their fourth sister’s death. It is about addiction and dysfunction, but also about the love of sisters. It has the most heartbreakingly beautiful prose. I will definitely be rereading for that alone.
Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

An instant all-time favorite. As an only child, I’ve always been obsessed with stories of big dysfunctional families. Blue Sisters delivered that - not in an over-the-top or saccharine way, but in a real, feel-it-in-your-gut way. I appreciated the portrayal of addiction in its various forms and stages. I’m a sucker for a good epilogue, so of course the final pages had me sobbing. Immediately added Mellors’s other book to my TBR and can’t wait to rave about this one on socials!

WOW! So moving! i really enjoyed this. I feel like each character was given their own time to shine in the book. i recommend

Blue Sisters TL;DR
👩👩👧👧 Intricate Family Dynamics
🖤 Unflinching Exploration of Grief and Addiction
✍ Lyrical, immersive writing
Coco Mellors' Blue Sisters is a poignant exploration of grief, family dynamics, and the enduring bonds of sisterhood. The novel follows three estranged sisters, Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky, who reunite in their childhood home after the tragic loss of their fourth sister, Nicky.
What sets Blue Sisters apart is its nuanced portrayal of complex characters. Each sister is a distinct individual, grappling with their own demons and unresolved traumas. Avery, the eldest, is a successful lawyer battling addiction and guilt. Bonnie, a former boxer, is struggling to find her place in the world. Lucky, the youngest, is a model escaping her past through a glamorous lifestyle.
The novel delves into the complexities of family relationships, revealing the unspoken tensions, buried secrets, and deep-seated love that binds the sisters together. Through their interactions, we witness the ways in which past experiences shape our present and the challenges of reconciling with one another.
Mellors' prose is both lyrical and evocative, capturing the emotional turmoil and raw vulnerability of the characters. The novel's pacing is deliberate, allowing for a slow-burn exploration of themes and character development.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I will say first and foremost I do not think Coco Mellors is for everyone. This is her second novel and both have such a grand sense of melancholy that is tragically honest in a beautiful sort of way. If you don't like seeing the ugly sides of reality, she maybe isn't for you. This felt very much like watching an HBO show. You see the different POVs in all their harsh lights.
This story follows three sisters after losing their fourth; and through the individual lives of Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky you are reminded that everyone is on their own path in life. Also, that we are extremely lucky for our siblings, even when they make us want to cry and pull our hair out. From the get-go I gravitated towards Avery as an eldest daughter, and even when she was in the wrong I felt on her side. I think that's one of the best parts of this novel, you can find someone to relate to, even when they're in the wrong. It's refreshing to have a reminder that no one is perfect and we cannot expect that from others.
At it's core I think this is an ode to sisterhood. I do not have any sisters by blood, so I can only imagine how this would hit if you do. In the first chapter I thought "I want to hug my brother", so if you have a sibling this is probably still going to hit home. I had a buildup of emotions at the end and cried during the epilogue, which I thought was beautiful. I was very happy with the ending of this story.
I will read anything by this author, and can't wait for future releases.
4.5 ⭐️

As someone with three sisters, this book pulled at my heartstrings in such a way. This is the first book by Mellors that I read in its entirety and it did not disappoint. I loved each sister, even with their flaws and hardships. There was such a human element to this book, especially with how everyone deals with grief differently. I found this book to be a gorgeous showcase of grief, sisterhood and addiction.

Character driven novel about the 4 Blue sisters, 3 of which are still heavily grieving at the one year anniversary of the death of their sister Nicki. This one is very, very sad and these women are seriously messed up. But your heart will rip open for them and even among their horrible choices, empathy will abound. I really had a hard time with the parental part and it really bothered me, but things do wind up wrapping up with that a bit for at least some understanding.