Reviews

So, so proud of my former classmate Auriane for her amazing middle grade debut! Autumn and Linnea are such real characters, and she handles their emotions and struggles with depth and care. Autumn’s journey toward accepting her new life—and herself—is so heartwarming. Looking forward to more kid lit from Auriane!!

emily_mh's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

My feelings for this book are complicated, but I ended up settling on four stars because I would ultimately recommend it!

Listen, my blood pressure was through the roof during a lot of this book because of how terribly Autumn was being treated, especially by her mum. Her mum does apologise to her eventually, but I think Autumn was owed so much more than this, in addition to an apology from Harrison (which we didn’t get), so the ending wasn’t as cathartic as I’d hoped. I also didn’t like how there seemed to be a greater push for Autumn to apologise for her behaviour than there was for her mum and Harrison to apologise for theirs, when they are the literal adults in this scenario and Autumn was acting out because of their terrible handling of the situation. I don’t think this aspect of the book was done poorly, but I do think it could have been done better.

Another criticism I had, which other reviewers share, is that the characters could have been more fleshed out. Reading this book via audio did bring some life to them, but they were kind of surface-level beyond Autumn and maybe her mum.

While I struggled with these two aspects, there was still plenty to love about this book. Firstly, I loved being able to fiercely relate to Autumn as a character. While it wasn’t my parents’ choice to move countries when I was a teen, I could still totally see myself in Autumn’s raw anger at being somewhere she didn’t belong, in her feeling completely out of place.

The evolution of Linnea and Autumn’s relationship was super sweet and one of my favourite parts. I love my sister to death, so seeing someone else get to adopt that kind of bond was so lovely, and so wholesome.

The absolute best part of the book was the queer rep. It made me so so happy to see Autumn’s journey, from identifying confusing thoughts and feelings, to finding a mentor, to the happy ending. Autumn is questioning throughout the book and remains unlabelled by choice at the end, as she still doesn’t know what word fits. I really liked this unlabelled rep as it’s important for readers to see that it’s okay if labels don’t fit now, or ever; that you can take your time with it and see how you go. It’s especially cool to see in middle-grade, and it is ultimately what bumped my rating into that four-star zone.

Rep: questioning MC, questioning LI, lesbian SC

Content Warnings

cboddie's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

5th-7th

anniekslibrary's review

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4.0

This is one of those middlegrade books I know I would have eaten up as a child and reread many MANY times. It's a fun, heartwarming story, and the main character feels like a real kid. The way she views what's happening around her makes sense for her age, even if as an adult you know better. But at the same time, as an adult, I felt for her, and I wanted the adults in her life to pay more attention to her emotional needs.

shaipanda's review

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funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I actually really enjoyed this!! I wasn't particularly pulled in by the first 15% or so that I read several months ago so I put it down and only picked it back up a few days ago since I knew it was being archived soon and wanted to finish it before that. I restarted it and was worried that it wasn't for me due to it being written for a younger audience and there being a lot of moments of second hand embarrassment that I felt for the main character. However, as I kept reading I ended up feeling a lot of connection with the main character as she figures out who she is. I also loved getting to see more queer rep as the book continued which really resonated with me. Parts of this made me pretty emotional and I was surprised by how attached I was to the main characters I was by the end. Overall this was a really solid 4 or even 4.5 star read and I really enjoyed it!

Content Warnings

pawprintsinthesink's review

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funny sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Auriane Desombre’s middle grade debut is a reverse parent trap: what if two potential step-sisters worked together to break their parents up?

Autumn has lived with her mom and brother in New York City her whole life. She and her BFF Saskia finally get to explore the city just the two of them– well, a fifteen block radius of the city. They have the best summer ever planned.

Until Autumn’s mom changes everything with one announcement: she’s marrying her boyfriend and they’re all moving to Connecticut, where he and his daughter live.

Autumn doesn’t want to leave New York, but more importantly, she doesn’t want to leave Saskia. They do what any BFF’s would do: they plot and plan to get Autumn back to the city, and back to Saskia, by breaking up Autumn’s mom and her fiancé.

While Autumn sets out to breakup her mom’s relationship, Saskia is drifting further away. Saskia’s mention of a new friend has Autumn feeling replaced — and just desperate enough to loop her future stepsister, Linnea, into the plan.

Hijinks ensue. Moving truck mishaps, ruined dinners, date nights cut short, venue sabotage, cake tasting disasters– Autumn is one determined saboteur.

But an unexpected wrench is thrown in Autumn’s plans, one that distracts her with endless questions: what if her feelings are more than friendly? What if she has a crush on her BFF?

This book has such humor and heart. Autumn’s attempts to derail her mom’s relationship are laugh out loud funny, while her journey of self-discovery is tender and hopeful. Sister Split does an excellent job of handling big feelings delicately and with great care without shying away from difficult topics. Love, belonging, family, home– these themes are present throughout the novel, subtly supporting the plot.

The Sister Split is a fun book with a lot of heart and depth. Autumn’s new feelings cause plenty of introspection, but it is all balanced with action. This book makes for an excellent summer read!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Random House Children’s publishing for an advanced digital copy such that I could share my honest opinions.

The Sister Split will be available March 14, 2023.

erinviolette's review

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5.0

I CRIED THREE TIMES. Funny, moving, sweet. A great read.

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