Member Reviews
Blue Sisters tells the story of four adult sisters that grew up with an alcoholic father and an aloof mother. After one sister passes away, we learn how the dad's addictions were passed along to his daughters. Each chapter in the book is written from a different sister's point of view, and that makes for interesting reading, but their stories were so depressing. I couldn't really relate to any of them, and I did find each of them annoying in numerous ways. I read this book in record time, hoping to learn about an event or something to bring resolution to their hard lives, but was actually kind of let down with the ending. The book is well written, but the story kept me wanting.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Blue Sisters.
Blue Sisters is a story of sisterhood, family, grief, and heartbreak. It's a coming-of-age story of three sisters as they grieve the death of their fourth sister. This book has a lot of triggers relating to addiction and death so be warned! All the characters in this story are flawed, even the eldest sister < Avery, who pretends to have her life put together. Lucky is dealing with a drug addiction as she leaves her modeling career. Bonnie, struggles with anger and is an ex-wrestler turned bouncer. Their mother is absent throughout much of their childhood and their father is an alcoholic. The beautiful part of this story is that, through the thick of it all, the three remaining sisters hold on tight to each other and save each other from their inner demons. This novel is a character-based novel and the big event of the storyline happened before the story takes place, but the author explores how each character copes with the aftermath. 4/5 Stars.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
This book has my whole entire heart. It shows the impact of family dynamics and addiction, as we as the bond (and friction) that often occurs between sisters. One of the parts that I loved the most was the clear contrast that was shown between the lives that each sister grew up with.
And the ending—everything wasn’t perfect. I wanted a happy ending so badly for each of these characters. And while the author didn’t spell it out explicitly, I’m choosing to believe that they would get there. “. . .the maybes bloomed bright and strong like dandelions, those lovely and uninvited weeds that always find the cracks.”
I desperately needed a 5 star read and this fit the bill for me!
Just because you are biologically related does not mean you know someone. I think that is the main theme of this story. One sister has died and a year later the three remaining end up together back at their home dealing with the death, each other, and themselves. Oh and their mother. This is an angsty filled family drama of forgiveness and understanding but not in the light feel good happy way that sentence sounded like. There is a lot of head butting, appropriately, and a lot of sorrow. I don't understand why there was an epilogue instead of either ending the book where it ended or including the epilogue as a final chapter. It tied everything up way too simply, which you know isn't one of my favorite things. But it still made me smile, so maybe I shouldn't complain?
I haven’t read Coco Mellors’ debut, Cleopatra and Frankenstein, but I’ve heard so many good things and was so excited to get the chance to review her second novel, Blue Sisters. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Blue Sisters is a great character driven novel. You really get in depth into the lives of the three Blue sisters, Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky, who are all going through it one year after the death of their beloved sister, Nicky. The Blue sisters are completely different on the surface, so it was fun to dive deep and see all the ways they are actually so similar and how they’re all coping with their grief. This one isn’t the most plot heavy novel, but to me, that made perfect sense for the point of the novel. It was incredibly well written and a beautiful story of family, grief, and family coming together.
I think a lot of readers will find someone to relate to in this book, as the sisters really encompass many of the different ways people cope with loss. My personal favorite character was Bonnie, but all three POVs were enjoyable. I really liked the parts of the story where each sister revealed something they knew or had kept to themselves about Nicky’s death that the others didn’t. While the book is mostly dealing with difficult and serious issues, there were some lighthearted moments and some funny ones too! It slowed down a bit in the middle of the book and I prefer shorter chapters than this one had, but otherwise this is a solid, well written novel that I think a lot of people will really love! And I definitely want to read Coco Mellors’ first book now!
a really fantastic and fresh family drama, following the 3 Blue sisters - mostly in their individual lives and stories, but the parts where they come together is where the book really shines. I feel like as with most books like this, I connected with and enjoyed some sisters’ storylines more than others; I really loved Avery’s narrative with her marriage and wish there was a little more time spent on that particular aspect, while I connected much less with Bonnie. but again overall a really solid drama with well developed characters
Stunning second novel. The way I was effortlessly invested in this family and these sisters lives! I found myself in a bit of a book hangover after I finished. She did it again! 4.75 stars!
a beautifully crafted novel that immerses you in the tangled lives of its characters, blue sisters by coco mellors is a poignant exploration of sisterhood, love, and loss. mellors' writing is lyrical and evocative, blending humor and heart to explore the complexities of grief, family, and self-discovery. while the book starts strong, it does falter with some predictability and lackluster prose, especially in handling chronic pain and addiction issues. however, the rich storytelling and emotionally satisfying ending make it a compelling read, perfect for casual or travel reading. overall, a solid novel that lingers in your mind long after the final page.
thanks to netgalley and random house publishing group for the e-ARC.
📚✨ Just finished an advanced reader's copy of *Blue Sisters* by Coco Mellors, and wow, what a powerful read! Set in New York, this novel follows the three estranged Blue sisters—Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky—who reunite a year after their beloved sister Nicky’s death. Each sister, navigating their own struggles from addiction to ambition, must confront their past and their fractured bond as they return home to prevent the sale of their childhood apartment.
Mellors masterfully blends humor and heart to explore the complexities of grief, family, and self-discovery. *Blue Sisters* is a deeply nuanced and compelling portrait of the sisterly bond and the process of healing after loss. A definite five-star read that kept me engrossed from start to finish. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year!
Huge thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this gem. 🌟📖
Such cinematic, detailed storytelling that truly painted the picture of the Blue Family dynamic.
Grief is not linear nor static. Observing Lucky, Avery, and Bonnie work through their loss in their own ways perfectly exemplified how the pain impacts everyone individually.
A compelling read with real-life scenarios, detailing the complexities of navigating loss and sisterhood.
I can’t even begin to say how much I absolutely
✨L O V E D✨ this book! I could tell from the first page that it was going to be a highly rated one for me, but this was utterly perfect and brilliant and just what I needed in my life right now. 🩵🩵🩵
5.0⭐️
Now I must read more from @cocomellors IMMEDIATELY, IF NOT SOONER👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
⭐️BLUE SISTERS, out SEPT 3rd⭐️
Thank you to Ballantine Books for the review eARC!
The book starts out really well, and just steadily sprints downhill, along with the characters' self-destructive spirals. It picks up significantly in the second half, I have to admit, and I do love messy family dynamics and emotionally satisfying endings. Since so much of it is predictable and has been done before, my judgement/enjoyment of this comes down to the prose, which is...lackluster. This book deals with chronic pain and addiction issues, and surprisingly gets it wrong here and there, but I won't judge this too harshly because it's fiction and doesn't peddle erroneous views, just overly rosy ones. This is pretty perfect for a travel or casual read, or just because that cover is very pleasing artwork.
A story that absolutely squeezes your heart. This is about the Blue sisters growing up once, then growing up again together. I love Avery, Bonnie, Nicky and Lucky as if they were my own sisters. My heart ached for each of them. I saw some of myself and my own sister in each of them. The writing in this book is absolutely beautiful and poetic. There were also so many new words I learned (probably a testament to my own limited vocabulary). Blue Sisters is for anyone who has loved another with their whole heart and then some, for the older sister who feels like they need to keep it together, for the youngest who feels that there’s always something to prove, and for the middles that are more perceptive than are given credit. For anyone that has loved an addict, this will hit different.
Thank you to Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this highly anticipated book! All opinions are my own
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
This was my first read by Coco Meltors. The characters were very well-developed. I found that the first half of the book very slow in development. At times, I really felt, I had to push through to get to the meat of the story. Sadly it left me uninterested until about half way through. For that reason, I fear that other readers will give up on the story before the beautiful tale gets going.
I received an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. I loved Coco Mellors first novel and was very excited to dive into this one. While some of the dark-edged character types are still there, I think this book is a lot different and has a bit of a fresher, more earnest voice. The story revolves around four sisters - while in many ways the plot setup reminded me of Hello Beautiful, they are very different novels and each shine on their own. I will say that the first half of the book was a bit slow for me. I enjoyed the sentence level writing, but it felt like it took a lot to set up each character's backstory, with lots of flashbacks, and we didn't see much growth or resolution until the second half of the book. I ended up really enjoying the end, but I fear some readers may abandon it before it gets to its best parts.
I’ve the unique premises of this novel. The relationships that is displayed between these women is fantastic. This novel allows you to see the life’s of these characters. Highly recommended!!
To be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through this book because I lost a sibling suddenly on the 4th of July just like these characters. However, I pushed through and am glad I did because this was a beautiful and well written story.
5⭐️!!!
This book shattered my heart.
The writing was beautiful, the story was beautifully heartbreaking and so raw. These characters felt so real and I forgot that I was reading a lot of times because of how immersive the story was. I feel like everyone can find something to relate to in the Blue Sisters. The sisters made mistakes, they laughed, they cried, they hit rock bottom, and got back up.
This book made me cry, laugh. Made me feel happy and sad. And just made me cry a whole lot.
Everyone should pick this book up! Everyone can find something to hold dear to their heart in this book.
Being a sister, this book broke me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 — five shiny stars for Avery, Nicky, Bonnie and Lucky!
Synopsis: Three struggling and estranged sisters return to New York City to grieve through the death of their sister.
Oh, how I loved this story! It hooked me from the very first line and I couldn’t put it down. I loved Mellors writing style and her meticulous detail to everything. She really had a way of bringing me into the story. I was never bored and I couldn’t wait to hear about these characters more and more.
There are some really tough themes in this book; death of a sibling, grief, addiction… just to name a few. It hit hard since I have a biological sister of my own. But it’s the story of the sisters’ grief and finding each other again that is truly captivating.
Read this if you:
💙 enjoy character driven stories with strong women
🩵 have a sister (or any sibling, really) of your own, whether the relationship is tumultuous or not
💙 a beautiful writing style with attention to detail
I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The four Blue sisters couldn't be much more different. They share a strong bond made stronger through the pain of losing one of them.