The Second Sister is the story of a woman too busy with a job that substitutes for a life and too determined to leave her past in the past to nurture the tie most important to her or to develop new ones. Although Lucy maintains contact with Alice, she never really listens to her and she knows little of the full life Alice, with all her limitations, has created for herself. Lucy has never formed new relationships either. Her closest friend is a much older lobbyist with whom she shares interests in politics and baseball. Romance has been limited to a series of brief relationships unmourned by either party when they end. Although the relationship between Lucy and Peter adds a strong romantic element to the story, it is essentially a women’s fiction tale of one woman’s journey of growth and self-discovery, much of it connected to sisterhood and female friendships. It is an engaging, emotional novel, one readers of Emilie Richards and the early Kristin Hannah should enjoy.

~Janga for The Romance Dish Blog

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Years of long workdays and little sleep as a political campaigner are about to pay off now that Lucy Toomey's boss is entering the White House. But when her estranged older sister, Alice, unexpectedly dies, Lucy is drawn back to Nilson's Bay, her small, close-knit, Wisconsin hometown.
An accident in her teens left Alice mentally impaired, and she was content to stay in Nilson's Bay. Lucy, meanwhile, got out and never looked back. But now, to meet the terms of Alice's eccentric will, Lucy has taken up temporary residence in her sister's cottage--and begins to see the town, and Alice's life, anew. Alice's diverse group of friends appears to have little in common besides an interest in quilting. Yet deep affection for Alice united them and soon Lucy, too, is brought into the fold as they share problems and stories. And as she finds warmth and support in this new circle, Lucy begins to understand this will be her sister's enduring gift--a chance to move beyond her difficult past, and find what she has long been missing...

*3.5 stars*

This book had been recommended to me by some people who I normally have respect for in book choices. So I gave it a go...and it was pretty good.

In a nutshell, this is a story about a woman who returns home after her sister dies suddenly - and she sees her old stomping ground through new eyes. Not something totally new and inventive, but it was done well.

I think for me, the stand-outs in this novel were the location (I don't remember reading too many books set in Wisconsin), and the group of friends that Alice had before she died. They really made the story interesting. There were some good moments throughout and, while it wasn't the most riveting story I have come across, it does what it does well enough.

Would I read another of this author? More than likely - there is enough good stuff in this book to make me want to see what else she has up her sleeve (as it were)...


Paul
ARH