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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-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
First read of 2025 and it was a real page turner.I found myself constantly cheering the characters on while simultaneously shaking my head. Would definitely recommend if you're looking for a fast paced booking with twist and turns that is encapsulated by a strong bond the characters hold.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
To the people that said they can relate… Really??? I was never this foolish when I was in my 30s. Which brings me to another point. How old are these ladies because Celeste was married for 10 years? Leslie has a child that is 12 years old. Toni and Yasmeen seem to be in their 20s though. The story didn’t flow well. It seemed to be composed of a bunch of ideas and was not really structured (or just maybe I am not used to this writing style).
***Spoilers… kinda***
What would possess Leslie to treat her father like that after he shared that secret with her? I think the emotion and response she had was weird and misplaced.
Toni had so many opportunities to tell the truth and get help but she didn’t. That was weird. She kept mentioning that she was from the hood but the way she moved didn’t suggest that. Nothing about Skinz screamed be afraid. I would have just talked to a lawyer from the beginning. She was smart but dumb. One million is a lot!
Celeste should have just gone to therapy. That was weird. She thought throwing that kitty was going to save her. She didn’t make sense at all because her problems could have easily been avoided. Also, threatening a divorce seemed extreme. She was just really spoiled and used to people catering to her.
Why was Yasmeen so immature? She really needed adult supervision the entire book. Pookie and Cashmere saw her coming from a mile away. Pookie knowing she was broke but repeatedly asking her for money didn’t make sense. Befriending Cashmere didn’t make sense. Nothing she did made sense… ever!
They all got on my nerves. I finished the book, but barely. I think I kept hoping it got better, but it never did. It didn’t end in a complete mess but, meh!
The Bookshop of Sisterhood is an absolute gem. The bond between the women in the story is truly heartwarming—they’re always there for each other, no matter the challenges they face. Each character goes through hardships that could easily break someone, but the strength they find in their friendship is incredibly moving. It’s a reminder of the importance of true friends in our lives. I especially loved how their book club meetings became a safe haven where they could escape the stresses of their lives. This book is a definite must-read!
Overall Review: 3.5 /5 Stars
This isn't my usual type of book, and I can't recall why I picked it up, but I ended up enjoying it. It was a beautiful reminder of the importance of sisterhood and how, even during life's toughest moments, your people will always be there for you.
This isn't my usual type of book, and I can't recall why I picked it up, but I ended up enjoying it. It was a beautiful reminder of the importance of sisterhood and how, even during life's toughest moments, your people will always be there for you.
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I know some of y’all like a lot of mess and a quick finish. This is right up your alley.
If you just read this book and go along for the ride, you’ll definitely enjoy it. This book is 100% more for entertainment than in-depth consumption. There were times I felt like I was watching a BET show like Tyler Perry’s Sistas. It seems like maybe there was one character too many. It was almost as if, for the sake of the book, everyone had to have something going on all at once.
You have the once-broke friend who wins the lottery and pretty much runs through all the money. Yeah, one of the friends is a financial advisor and couldn’t connect her to someone to help her? You have a friend who is having fertility issues and a troubled past but didn’t think to tell her lawyer husband? Another woman’s daughter is sick, and her husband is a gambler, yet she still allows him to have access to major accounts? Then there’s a friend suffering from PTSD from a carjacking who refuses to go to therapy even though it’s destroying all of her relationships. It did feel like a lot of stereotypical tropes were on display.
There was this lingering depiction of the black women being selfish or self-serving, sassy, and being at times irresponsible. Even Darryl as the down-on-his-luck Black man who needs a ninth chance or a character like Skins—because what would this book have been without Black men coming from jail? I think I would’ve preferred if the drama was cascading. Plus, it always appears when we get these very strong in presence and personality women characters, they have to be immature in some other way, especially in their communication style.
This is definitely the kind of book I could see recommended for a book club or just to casually read on the weekend, but the minute you start to look deeper into it, there’s just too many things to pick apart. But something tells me this book could easily have a follow-up based on how it ended, and people would eat that up as well just because it’s so drama-filled, and the drama and situations are so over the top.
While some of the obstacles the characters are facing are very real and could easily happen, it’s the way in which the situations unfold that make them feel very distant and soap operatic. I can understand having smart characters that make occasionally biased or misinformed decisions, but it just felt like it was one dumb choice after another.
And to say that this book is about sisterhood is really loosely using that term. These women spend more time arguing and jabbing at each other—and not in the keke way. It made it quite obvious where the book was going to go, but also unfortunate in the pace at which we arrived there. By the time the climax happens, the ending just quickly wraps up.
All that is not to say I didn’t enjoy reading this book; it is definitely a guilty pleasure. It may not have been what I was really hoping for, but I’m also not mad at it. It knows what it offers and what it’s doing.
368 pgs
Pub Date: Jul 30th
Thanks to Netgalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for this Digital Arc.
Fiction
If you just read this book and go along for the ride, you’ll definitely enjoy it. This book is 100% more for entertainment than in-depth consumption. There were times I felt like I was watching a BET show like Tyler Perry’s Sistas. It seems like maybe there was one character too many. It was almost as if, for the sake of the book, everyone had to have something going on all at once.
You have the once-broke friend who wins the lottery and pretty much runs through all the money. Yeah, one of the friends is a financial advisor and couldn’t connect her to someone to help her? You have a friend who is having fertility issues and a troubled past but didn’t think to tell her lawyer husband? Another woman’s daughter is sick, and her husband is a gambler, yet she still allows him to have access to major accounts? Then there’s a friend suffering from PTSD from a carjacking who refuses to go to therapy even though it’s destroying all of her relationships. It did feel like a lot of stereotypical tropes were on display.
There was this lingering depiction of the black women being selfish or self-serving, sassy, and being at times irresponsible. Even Darryl as the down-on-his-luck Black man who needs a ninth chance or a character like Skins—because what would this book have been without Black men coming from jail? I think I would’ve preferred if the drama was cascading. Plus, it always appears when we get these very strong in presence and personality women characters, they have to be immature in some other way, especially in their communication style.
This is definitely the kind of book I could see recommended for a book club or just to casually read on the weekend, but the minute you start to look deeper into it, there’s just too many things to pick apart. But something tells me this book could easily have a follow-up based on how it ended, and people would eat that up as well just because it’s so drama-filled, and the drama and situations are so over the top.
While some of the obstacles the characters are facing are very real and could easily happen, it’s the way in which the situations unfold that make them feel very distant and soap operatic. I can understand having smart characters that make occasionally biased or misinformed decisions, but it just felt like it was one dumb choice after another.
And to say that this book is about sisterhood is really loosely using that term. These women spend more time arguing and jabbing at each other—and not in the keke way. It made it quite obvious where the book was going to go, but also unfortunate in the pace at which we arrived there. By the time the climax happens, the ending just quickly wraps up.
All that is not to say I didn’t enjoy reading this book; it is definitely a guilty pleasure. It may not have been what I was really hoping for, but I’m also not mad at it. It knows what it offers and what it’s doing.
368 pgs
Pub Date: Jul 30th
Thanks to Netgalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for this Digital Arc.
Fiction