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lauradvb's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Alcoholism
okayletsread's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a quiet little book about four sisters and the impacts of their grief after their sister dies from an overdose. It explores grief on all levels—relational, familial, and relational—and how it fundamentally changes you and those around you.
The sisters make questionable throughout the book which many readers will not like or resonate with, but we get an honest view into their flawed sisterhood. Since this is written in multiple POVs, I connected with some characters more than others, but there's no doubt Coco Mellors can write. A wonderfully written sophomore novel that makes me more excited to pick up her debut which is currently sitting on my shelf.
Thank you NetGalley for an early advanced copy!
The sisters make questionable throughout the book which many readers will not like or resonate with, but we get an honest view into their flawed sisterhood. Since this is written in multiple POVs, I connected with some characters more than others, but there's no doubt Coco Mellors can write. A wonderfully written sophomore novel that makes me more excited to pick up her debut which is currently sitting on my shelf.
Thank you NetGalley for an early advanced copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Addiction, Death, and Drug use
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Rape
lailajm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I thought cleopatra and Frankenstein was amazing- this book is on another level. Coco Mellors manages to capture the good and bad of sisterhood in the most emotional, tear-inducing way with the most beautiful writing and style. I love her ability to switch between the three sisters giving you insight into how they all work together while showing you them as individuals. It’s a book every sister with a sister should read in their lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Infidelity, Drug abuse, Addiction, Death, and Drug use
Minor: Miscarriage
readwithnicki's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I read Coco Mellors previous book Cleopatra and Frankenstein earlier this year and did not particularly enjoy it, but I was impressed with her writing style so wanted to give her new novel a go. And thank goodness I did!!
I really loved this book. I’m endlessly impressed by the way in which Mellors slips between character POVs in such a realistic way, with every character feeling distinctive and the book still flowing beautifully.
This book looks at grief, addiction and family in such a raw, honest way and I adored it. The characters are often times dislikable but not to the extent where I did not care about them. I am thoroughly impressed and definitely will be giving Coco Mellors future work a read!
Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book. I am under no obligation to post this review and all thoughts are my own.
I really loved this book. I’m endlessly impressed by the way in which Mellors slips between character POVs in such a realistic way, with every character feeling distinctive and the book still flowing beautifully.
This book looks at grief, addiction and family in such a raw, honest way and I adored it. The characters are often times dislikable but not to the extent where I did not care about them. I am thoroughly impressed and definitely will be giving Coco Mellors future work a read!
Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book. I am under no obligation to post this review and all thoughts are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Death, and Drug use
Minor: Domestic abuse
sunandmoon's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Wanted to like it more, to feel more interested in the relationships of the sisters but it's difficult to empathise with rich women who don't get how privileged they are :)
There are some very good scenes and moments though, but some were also repetitive (why talk about the same memories from the different pov if it's not to tell anything new?
Also :a lesbian cheating on her wife by sleeping with a MAN ?? please ???
There are some very good scenes and moments though, but some were also repetitive (why talk about the same memories from the different pov if it's not to tell anything new?
Also :
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Addiction, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault
beate251's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and 4th estate for this ARC.
This is the story of the four Blue sisters: Avery (the gay one) who is a lawyer living in London, Bonnie (the scary one) who is a boxer turned bouncer living in LA, Lucky (the hot one) who is a model living in Paris and Nicky (the dead one) who was a teacher living in New York. They have awful parents (alcoholic father, cold mother) and display a lot of self-destructive behaviour, including but not limited to alcoholism, drug abuse and infidelity. They also constantly fight with each other. Honestly, if you needed a guide book on how to fuck up your life, these people could write it no problem. Lucky's posh drug-fuelled party is so distasteful I skipped a few pages.
I get it, the death of their sister Nicky at 27 from an overdose of pain medication (she suffered from debilitating endometriosis), leaves a hole in their lives they struggle to come to terms with but I simply couldn't connect with these well-to-do women who willingly burn down their lives at every turn while using words like "lycanthropic" and "prurience". Just go have therapy already!
It is well-written literature, but it's not for me. Too much misery and unhappiness in a book, combined with chapters that are ten miles long, makes me lose the will to live.
“Lucky,” said Lucky. “That’s a funny name,” said Flopsy. Lucky gave her a sideways look."
This is the story of the four Blue sisters: Avery (the gay one) who is a lawyer living in London, Bonnie (the scary one) who is a boxer turned bouncer living in LA, Lucky (the hot one) who is a model living in Paris and Nicky (the dead one) who was a teacher living in New York. They have awful parents (alcoholic father, cold mother) and display a lot of self-destructive behaviour, including but not limited to alcoholism, drug abuse and infidelity. They also constantly fight with each other. Honestly, if you needed a guide book on how to fuck up your life, these people could write it no problem. Lucky's posh drug-fuelled party is so distasteful I skipped a few pages.
I get it, the death of their sister Nicky at 27 from an overdose of pain medication (she suffered from debilitating endometriosis), leaves a hole in their lives they struggle to come to terms with but I simply couldn't connect with these well-to-do women who willingly burn down their lives at every turn while using words like "lycanthropic" and "prurience". Just go have therapy already!
It is well-written literature, but it's not for me. Too much misery and unhappiness in a book, combined with chapters that are ten miles long, makes me lose the will to live.
“Lucky,” said Lucky. “That’s a funny name,” said Flopsy. Lucky gave her a sideways look."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Addiction, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Grief, Alcoholism, and Drug use
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Vomit, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Rape
bloomed's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.0
a really gorgeous slow-burn exploring grief, sisterhood, motherhood, and addiction.
blue sisters didn’t land for me quite as hard as cleopatra and frankenstein did, but i think that’s just a personal thing—for people who have sisters, i feel like this could be the book, given how vividly the familial dynamic is written! each sister individually is also lovely; they’re all extremely flawed people, grappling with their own secrets, but the way they’re written makes them feel unbelievably human.
the only con this book really has, at least for me, is that it’s a pretty slow burn; with the synopsis of the book being what it is, i kind of expected that the sisters would be together sooner and spend a little bit more time together. as-written, it did still work, but something about the mismatch between what i thought the structure of the book would be vs the reality did make the first half or so feel a tiny bit stretched out.
regardless, coco mellors’ writing is stunning, and if she writes it, i’ll read it and love it. 4/5 stars!!
and, as always, thank you to netgalley and the publisher both giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!
blue sisters didn’t land for me quite as hard as cleopatra and frankenstein did, but i think that’s just a personal thing—for people who have sisters, i feel like this could be the book, given how vividly the familial dynamic is written! each sister individually is also lovely; they’re all extremely flawed people, grappling with their own secrets, but the way they’re written makes them feel unbelievably human.
the only con this book really has, at least for me, is that it’s a pretty slow burn; with the synopsis of the book being what it is, i kind of expected that the sisters would be together sooner and spend a little bit more time together. as-written, it did still work, but something about the mismatch between what i thought the structure of the book would be vs the reality did make the first half or so feel a tiny bit stretched out.
regardless, coco mellors’ writing is stunning, and if she writes it, i’ll read it and love it. 4/5 stars!!
and, as always, thank you to netgalley and the publisher both giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Lesbophobia and Sexual harassment
whatsmomreading's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Randomhouse for this ARC.
We meet the three blue sisters, Avery, Bonnie & Lucky, on the one year anniversary of the passing of their sister Nicky. They’ve spent the last year in a fog of grief, individually trying to understand their sister’s passing and blaming themselves for not helping Nicky when she needed them most. When the sister’s mother coldly emails them about the impending sale of their childhood home, they are forced to come together and face their grief together.
We meet the three blue sisters, Avery, Bonnie & Lucky, on the one year anniversary of the passing of their sister Nicky. They’ve spent the last year in a fog of grief, individually trying to understand their sister’s passing and blaming themselves for not helping Nicky when she needed them most. When the sister’s mother coldly emails them about the impending sale of their childhood home, they are forced to come together and face their grief together.
Like most I enjoyed Cleopatra & Frankenstein, not so much for the story line but for Coco Mellors writing. She has this ability to drag you into a characters thoughts and feelings so that you understand their complexity deeply. Once I read the premise of Blue Sisters I knew this would be the novel for me. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different sister, allowing you to step into their lives and see them as a whole, past and present. I felt deeply for the oldest sister Avery as a fellow Eldest Daughter and in some ways it was so emotional to be seen in such a way! The guilt you feel as a parentified Eldest Daughter is unlike any other and I felt Mellors did a beautiful job exploring that role we are forced into in life. I think Mellors did an excellent job exploring grief, substance abuse and sobriety that left me cheering for each of the Blue sisters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcoholism
crhbrault's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction and Drug use
shealen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
4.0
(Got this as an ARC on NetGalley.) Coco Mellors does it again with creating complicated and flawed characters that you can’t help but love and root for. This explores the complicated feelings of grief, familial love and romantic love, childhood trauma, addiction, and more. I found myself hurting for the sisters and hoping for their journeys to lead to a happy ending even through it all. I enjoyed getting the different internal looks at the sisters and the similarities of each other despite their differences. Beautifully written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Chronic illness, Addiction, Drug use, Grief, and Alcoholism