Reviews with content warning for Murder - Sunflower Sisters

An exceptional conclusion to the trilogy chronicling the family of Caroline Ferriday, although I am sad to see it end. Each book has been thoroughly researched and the author's note even documents what the fictional events and characters were based upon, as well as her reflections on her travels to these places and reading the family's letters.

As each book has gone back in time looking at the family history, this book is set during the Civil War. The ancestral Woolsey family is comprised of several sisters who are actively involved in the abolitionist movement and various charities supporting orphans and the Union troops. Georgeanna is focused upon as she trains as a nurse to serve in the war and plans to open a school for female nurses which is unheard of in this time. A second perspective is given by Jemma, an enslaved teen on a tobacco plantation in Maryland, as she witnesses the horrors from the owners and fights to save her family. The third narrator is the mistress of the plantation, Anne-May, who is oblivious in her selfishness.

The writing is excellent, and this family's story encompasses some important historical moments, so it's definitely worth reading and remembering, though the subject matter is hard to read at times. Although this book is slightly longer than my typical reads, it never dragged, but life sometimes got in the way of my reading time!

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jaeyc's review

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? No

3.0

I was definitely very invested in Jemma’s story and I rooted for the freedom. I was always anticipating for her POV as she display her love for her sister and parents while being separated from them. There were romance in the book. The author did a great job weaving the story of three different characters each with a very unique background and story. Recommended to fans of historical fiction as this is a very well researched book with many references and historical details based on the Civil war

This book is the last book of the trilogy and my first book by this author. Definitely can read as a standalone. I felt that the book was rather a slow burn and is super thick.

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kamin8882's review

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adventurous challenging emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

What a beautiful ending to an amazing trilogy. Being the last book of the "Lilac Girls" Trilogy, I have to say this one was probably my favorite. I am so used to reading historical fiction based on WWII or in Europe, but this was such a beautiful story told during the Civil War from the POV of Caroline Ferriday's ancestor Georgiana, or Georgey, Jemma- a slave in Maryland on a tobacco farm, and her owner Anne May. Martha Hall Kelly really does such an amazing job with her characters and I loved most and really hated others, which was a perfect combination.

Georgey Woolsey is part of the family of very strong women, with 6 sisters and a little brother who do everything they can to help with the war and to help everyone, including the slaves they encounter. Georgey is a very strong willed woman and wants to be a nurse and open a women's training hospital, which is highly looked down upon during these times. But she is not giving up and will do anything she can. Her family is just as passionate about helping in anyway they can and I love it.

Jemma is owned by Anne May on a tobacco plantation with her family. She goes through so much, getting beaten, watching horrible things happen to the ones she loves, while also dealing with pain herself. Finally she gets the chance to get free and gets mistaken as a boy and "taken" up in the army, to fight for the Union. This is where she meets Georgey and her mother, and they help her get on her feet and become even stronger than she was before.

Ann May is the WORST!! She is the inheritor of the Peeler plantation and treats her slaves HORRIBLY!! She also is just snobby and the worst kind of character, who you definitely won't have any problem hating. She becomes invested with a man who is not her husband, selling secrets to the enemy against the Union. She made the mistake of having Jemma write it all down for her (since she can't write) and panics when Jemma is gone and she can't find this book. She goes through all the hoops to get Jemma back and hide her secrets, even if they will hurt everyone in her path.

This book was beautifully written and I loved all the different POV and how they all intertwine eventually. This is was slightly different than the other two books in the series as there was not a dual timeline going on here. I loved all the relationships in this book, being romantic or friendships. It was sooo good!! It definitely is a long one, but so worth it. The narrators were great..really bringing to life the characters and making you really feel them with you. What made it even more beautiful, it that it is based off a true story-- these beautiful strong Woolsey Sisters really did exist and were extraordinary women. I would definitely recommend reading this book, along with Lilac Girls and Lost Roses.

Thank you to Netgalley, Martha Hall Kelly and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC copy of Sunflower Sisters.

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thebakerbookworm's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense 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

3.0

Having read both Lilac Girls and Lost Roses, and having had the chance to visit the Ferriday-Bellamy House in Connecticut, I was excited to read the next installment in this family’s history. However, though I did like this story overall, it’s my least favorite of the three. It took me almost a month to read this book because I found the beginning chapters boring and the story didn’t really pick up for me until over halfway through the book. There were too many time jumps and a lot of characters—I had trouble remembering who was who. The book is told from three perspectives, and for most of it, it felt like we were just getting snippets of those characters’ lives rather than the full story.

I enjoyed Jemma’s chapters the most. Georgy was hard to connect to and I didn’t understand her relationship with Frank at all—she would hate him in one chapter and love him in the next and I found it just annoying. Anne-May was a terrible person but I found a lot of her actions to be nonsensical. Even in the pursuit of her own selfish goals, they just didn’t make sense to me.

I will say you can tell this book was heavily researched and I appreciated the little touches of setting and historical events that impacted our characters’ lives. I enjoyed reading the author’s note at the end—it definitely adds more to the story.

I am sad to have the Ferriday family story come to a slightly disappointing end to me. I think I still liked this book and will probably buy it to complete my Lilac Girls series. But I can’t wholeheartedly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my eARC.

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