Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - As irmãs Blue + brindes

Yeah, not for me. LOTS of reasons why, but I'll stick to the endometriosis rep. Spoilers coming up.

One of the sisters, Nicky, is killed off before the story even starts - in the prologue, I mean she literally doesn't make it to chapter 1. And OF COURSE she's the sister with endometriosis.

The descriptions of endometriosis pain were ok - quite accurate (though superficial). But endo doesn't typically kill people. So Mellors gives it the double-whammy and throws in some drug addiction for pain relief, and that's what kills her.

These are two serious issues, but the way they are casually combined is trite - very frothy, a Hallmark version. There's a weird part where they think her soul has been reincarnated into a pink smeg fridge. That's the kind of Hallmark I mean.

The whole story is about Nicky's remaining sisters 'find themselves' again in the wake of her death. It can be summed up by this one (bad) quote: 'Did Nicky not teach you anything? Do you still not get the part about the fucking fragility of life?'

'Bury your disabled' is a well-known trope. It's basically where writers kill off the disabled characters because they're only there as a plot device - to give inspiration or a life lesson for the non-disabled characters. That's pretty much what's going on here.

Nicky's life has no value in itself - she doesn't really exist in the story, only as a memory. And her main purpose is to inspire her non-disabled sisters to turn their lives around. Even in interviews, I've heard Mellors describe it as a book about 'three sisters' - she's erased from the start, even though the whole plot hinges on her death.

She's also presented as something of a martyr, the 'good' sister who, out of them all, least deserved to die *eye roll* - another disability trope.

There are also some weird takes on queer relationships, too, including this awful sapphic sex scene: 'It felt so good, so right... Not at all like with the boys before... Above her the Virgin Mary smiled down, and, staring up into her benevolent grey eyes, Avery had orgasmed powerfully for the first time. She'd maintained a secret soft spot for the Mother of God ever since.'

I mean... ?!

I could go on, but think I'll just leave it there....

Content Warnings

norilein's review against another edition

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challenging dark hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

Wir begleiten die Schwestern Avery, Lucky und Bonnie Blue.

Sie haben vor einem Jahr ihre Schwester Nicky auf Grund einer Überdosis verloren. Wir erleben den Trauerprozess und die erneute Annäherung der Schwestern. Sie finden einen neuen Weg für ihre Schwesternbeziehung ohne Nicky als aktiven, jedoch immer bleibenden Part. Auch den persönlichen Heilungsprozess von Sucht und Vernachlässigung in der Kindheit können wir verfolgen.

Es ist toll wie die Schwestern als Einzelpersonen und in ihrem Zusammenspiel lebendig werden und die gemeinsamen Herausforderungen zunehmend wieder zusammen bestreiten.

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jennirocket's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

A very emotional and deeply human experience of a book. Every single one of the sisters carries their own burdens and have their own scars and trauma but what unites them is their shared pain of losing a sister and their love for each other.
This story tells of very different but very relatable women who try to navigate life and what it throws at you and through it all, how to forgive, others and, most importantly, yourself.
A beautiful read that felt like a very real, very relatable friend.
Recommended!!

Content Warnings

rgv's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

poofymoi's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.25

definitely a 4.25/5 for me

I loved this book. I thought the three sisters were so beautifully and intricately written— their relationships with each other and with others were distinct and poignant, and the grief they all experienced was handled in such different ways. I was really taken by this book, especially cuz I didn’t *love* cleopatra and Frankenstein. But the familial aspect of this really kept me interested.

I wouldn’t have changed much about the book at all. Would rec.

Content Warnings