Member Reviews

A beautifully written story that felt so real!
Coco is such an incredible writer and I have been so impressed with both her books. She has a way of making her characters feel like people that really exist. She covers many tough subjects in this story in an educational way while also giving hope that they can overcome these issues they face. I came to love the Blue sisters by the end of this book and definitely look forward to reading the next book she releases!

Was this review helpful?

Loved reading about the Blue sisters dealing with not only the aftermath of their sister’s death, but also the ramifications of their life growing up and seeing how things affected each sister. The ending was carefully thought out to where it wasn’t a fairy tale, it was a plausible and realistic ending to the story.

Was this review helpful?

This is a 1Star read for me. It took all I had for me to finish reading this book. It was so boring. The chapters are way too long. The characters are unlikeable.

Was this review helpful?

I love the character descriptions and how they're being described; in the prologue, the author gives a deep-dive on each sister in order, from oldest to youngest and gives us a brief discription of each sister's past then gives us an update on where life lead them. I really like how each of the sisters are different and contrasting each other. The prologue was a beautiful ride about each sister and made me instantly fall in love with the sisters and the story. I also really like the humor throughout the book, it's underrated. For the ending, I feel like it was rushed and cramped into one chapter but it was still a smooth and beautiful ending and it made sense! The epilogue was perfect! I love how it was very wholesome and complemented the entire plot.

Was this review helpful?

kind of a corny millennial novel but some interesting writing on addiction and womens health. for fans of dolly alderton and her cohort

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

This book tackles some hefty topics such as death, overdose, suicidal thoughts, addiction of multiple types, cheating, etc. I felt like they were handled very well.

I think there is a character that everyone could connect to. They arent all likable, but they arent meant to be.

It was difficult for me to get through. The pacing is painfully slow and had me in a bit of a rut. I felt like the story went in the same circle repeatedly, which may be realistic for some of the points of the book but it made the story feel like it had no true path.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this book! The story tackled sensitive issues that many of us deal with from addiction, to strained parental relationships, to sisterhood, and it handled all of those topics in such a raw and relatable way. I am excited to see how the public reacts to this book when it’s released!

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely loved Blue Sisters. It's a story about a family returning to New York to stop the sale of their childhood apartment a year after their fourth sister, Nicky, passes away. The book beautifully captures the emotions of grief, love, and how the characters navigate through addiction and ambition. I was moved by the raw emotions and found the writing to be powerful and relatable. The author, Coco Mellors, has a gift for expressing heavy themes in an easy-to-read manner. This book explores addiction, family relationships, grief, and longing, and delves into the ways we hold ourselves back and the power of believing in others. I don't want to give too much away, but I will definitely be adding Coco Mellors to my auto-read list and recommending this book to everyone!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the arc!!

Was this review helpful?

I was able to read an ARC of this courtesy of Random House ,Netgalley and the author. This was a fantastic novel and I was completely surprised by how I really connected to these characters. I went into this one fairly blind on what it was about however I knew it would be a great read.

This is so beautifully written! Coco Mellors is definitely a talented author who I will definitely be on the lookout for more books from!

Was this review helpful?

This is one of those books that is going to stay with me for a very long time. Coco Mellors perfectly describes feelings that are often difficult to put into words surrounding so many different topics: sisterhood, grief, addiction (and the impact is has not only on the addict but those closest to them), as well as complex family relationship dynamics. I deeply resonated with these characters & felt like I was able to find bits of myself in each of them.

The relationships between the characters, their flaws, struggles & feelings all felt so real and lived in - I couldn’t help but be captivated. On top of all that, the authors writing style is absolutely beautiful and has a poetic quality to it. I don’t think I’ve ever highlighted so many things while reading a book. My only complaint is that I wish it was longer, I would have loved to spend more time with the Blue sisters.

Highly, highly recommend this one. Available in the US on 9/3/2024 - make sure to grab yourself a copy!

Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for this ARC

Was this review helpful?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Blue Sisters by @cocomellors is a masterpiece of character development and family drama. It is a modern day Little Women, but with more addiction issues and a little more hope. This book is so well written, you will be hooked by the first ten pages. The sentence structure is unique; it reminds me of Raymond Carver short stories. It is like Mellors trusts you to make assumptions about the characters and come to your own conclusions about the content of their integrity and relationships.

The Blue sisters are;
Avery, the oldest, a lawyer, Scary Spice
Bonnie, a boxer, sporty spice
Nicky, a teacher, posh spice
Lucky, a model, baby spice.

They are so inextricably connected through their parents and the way they were raised, but their alcoholic father is notably absent from the narrative. Although he is the first domino that starts the family narrative, this is not his story. It is the story of sisters and how they have secrets and try to connect with and push each other away.

All references to AA and recovery are transparent, raw and realistic. Each sister is unique, flawed, mostly unlikable, but you will find yourself rooting for them.

Thanks to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the ARC. Book to be published September 3, 2024.

Was this review helpful?

This is the best love story I have read in a very long time. The way Mellors writes her characters is so beautiful, with all their flaws and imperfections. The story of the Blue family tackles alcoholism, drug addiction and loss, but most importantly love. The epilogue ripped my heart out and threw it on the floor 😭. Mellors proves she is a solid force of literary genius in this follow up to Cleo + Frank with her relatable relationships which are messy and real. I cannot wait to see what comes next from her. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Books Ballantine in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Easily one of my favorite books of the year. Once I started Blue Sisters, I couldn’t put it down. I loved every single imperfect character and all their flaws. It made them all feel so real and human. I don’t have a sister but there were many other aspects of this book that were extremely relatable and Coco Mellors writes about them all so beautifully. I was rooting for every single character and my heart was breaking for them all. This is a book that will stick with me for a long time.

Was this review helpful?

There’s a very specific spark I feel when I know that a book is going to be a 5 star read for me. I felt that spark immediately. The last time I found myself this invested in group of characters was when reading A Little Life, which ranks as one of my all time favorite books. My only complaint is that I want more. While I was satisfied with the epilogue and left with closure for each sisters’ story, I would have loved to read about everything that happened in between. This book could’ve easily been 800 pages and I’d have enjoyed every minute of it. This book has the makings to be my top book of 2024.

Was this review helpful?

I liked the prologue and thought, this could be interesting. Alas, I turned the page and quickly realized that Blue Sisters shares a great deal of DNA with the novels by Jackie Collins and Judith Krantz -- the glossiness of the superficial being the main thing, ostensibly made meaningful by family drama, the prose workman-like, the glitter everything, the drama unoriginal. Based on how many supposedly have already read it on Goodreads - when it has not yet been published - is a whole other issue. I'm definitely not the audience for this.

Thanks to Ballantine and Netgalley for the arc.

Was this review helpful?

The three Blue sisters are very different but they all are dealing with the grief of their fourth sister’s death. A year later they return to New York to meet at the apartment they were raised in.

I typically love books about sisters, and this was no exception. It’s a very character driven story, as we get to know each sister and how they process their grief. They each have their own drama and processes of dealing. We get to know them each on a deep level and then we get to know them together, as well as their past.

“And I wanted that for my daughters, that whatever life threw at them - because one thing I knew was that life would throw things at them - they would survive, and they’d find a way to be happy and free.”

Blue Sisters comes out 9/3.

Was this review helpful?

<b><I>It was easy to love someone in the beginnings and endings; it was all the time in between that was so hard..</b></I>

That quote truly encompasses the whole book and so many peoples reality with family.

Blue Sisters follow Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky Blue as they grieve the loss of their fourth sister Nicky. We see the way this loss has completely devastated their lives and relationships with each other and get to follow them as they rebuild both.

I just really love the way that Coco Mellors writes. I loved her first book Cleopatra and Frankenstein and I just know I’m going to continue to be so excited to read whatever she writes in the future. She has a way of really bringing the characters off the pages.

Blue Sisters shows the reality of loving family members but not necessarily liking them most of the time. And that that’s perfectly okay.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Was this review helpful?

5 amazing stars for this beautiful book by Coco Mellors. Top 5 favorite book this year. I initially heard about it on TikTok and it did not disappoint.

The story follows 3 sisters, Bonnie, Avery & Lucky who are all battling their own demons after the unexpended death of their 4th sister, Nicky. Mellors expertly and poetically weaves the stories of past and present for all the sisters so we really get an in depth understanding of who they are and what makes them do what they do. We also get to understand their mom, which was key to understanding the sisters. This story is about addiction, sisterhood, forgiveness and more. Some of my favorites quotes are as follows:

"Even if her sisters managed to speak to her, they couldn't really reach her. She had gone somewhere they couldn't follow."

"I find what gives me pleasure and I do it until it gives me pain. Every time."

"That was family, she thought sadly, the root of all comfort and chaos."

"She'd heard once that 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."

If you have sisters or family members who struggle with addiction, this is an absolute must read. Or just a must read in general. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you NetGalley for my eARC. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

As someone who loves Coco Mellors writing though struggles with third person POV and is an only child, I loved this book.
Mellors writing makes this difficult to put down as I just wanted to know where this would go and gobble up everything the author was giving to us. Incredible.

Was this review helpful?

The Run-Down: Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors is a deeply human and humane story about grief, family, and addiction.

Review:
One year after the death of their sister, the three remaining Blue sisters—Avery, a former heroin addict and high-achieving lawyer; Bonnie, a boxing champion who hasn’t entered the ring since a disastrous defeat; and Lucky, a model who uses partying and alcohol to numb the pain—find themselves at a crossroads as each sister’s life implodes under the weight of grief and self-destruction.

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors hits familiar beats of grief and the turbulent bond of sisterly love. Anyone who reads the synopsis will be able to reliably predict the broad structure and resolution of the story, but Mellors writes her characters with such clarity of vision that it is impossible not to become engrossed in their stories. Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky are deeply flawed, but they are depicted with a remarkable degree of empathy and compassion.

Some books set themselves apart with descriptive scenery and luscious prose, but the evocative atmosphere in this book comes from its background and side characters, all of whom Mellors draws with a breathtaking humanity. She has mastered the art of the small details that make characters come alive on the page, and it is this quality that makes Blue Sisters special.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?