You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
I received a copy via Net Galley.
When they were younger Daisy and Sage were stepsisters. They never really got along and when their parents divorced they didn't expect to ever see each other again. When their sister is injured the sisters come together to help her through her recovery but will they be able to put the past behind them.
This book took me a while to get into. There is a lot going on in this book and there are a number of different side plots. The characters in this book are not particularly memorable or likable I did like the focus on the sister relationship rather than a romantic relationship.
Overall this was an ok read for me I didn't think the plot was particularly memorable and I didn't really connect with the characters.
When they were younger Daisy and Sage were stepsisters. They never really got along and when their parents divorced they didn't expect to ever see each other again. When their sister is injured the sisters come together to help her through her recovery but will they be able to put the past behind them.
This book took me a while to get into. There is a lot going on in this book and there are a number of different side plots. The characters in this book are not particularly memorable or likable I did like the focus on the sister relationship rather than a romantic relationship.
Overall this was an ok read for me I didn't think the plot was particularly memorable and I didn't really connect with the characters.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm having such a hard time rating this book. I thought it was a thriller for some reason, and it really is not. I wouldn't even call it a romance in any way. I mean, it's a family drama. It's a little different than your typical one, but it's just family centered literary fiction.
The narrator is also terrible. I listen to hundreds of audiobooks per year and this is the first audiobook that I can recall loathing the narration so much that it was painful to finish listening to the book.
The story itself is okay... I didn't hate it. I am so tempted to rate this a two, but I think that's just because the narration is horrendous.
The narrator is also terrible. I listen to hundreds of audiobooks per year and this is the first audiobook that I can recall loathing the narration so much that it was painful to finish listening to the book.
The story itself is okay... I didn't hate it. I am so tempted to rate this a two, but I think that's just because the narration is horrendous.
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Daisy Bosarge is a nurse anesthesiologist whose been married for twelve years and is the mother of two young children. When she was eight years old, her widowed father remarried and she gained a stepsister. Daisy was excited at the prospect of having a sibling but nine year old Sage wanted nothing to do with her and became her tormenter. Later, they shared a half sister, Cassidy, who decided to ally with Sage when she got older and ostracized Daisy, too. The relationships were permanently fractured when their father divorced Sage and Cassidy’s mother. It’s been twelve years since Daisy last saw Sage and circumstances have now reunited all three. Cassidy was injured in a climbing accident and her father arranges for her to stay with Daisy, which means Sage will be a daily visitor. Oh, and did I mention that Daisy is married to Sage’s high school boyfriend and he’s decided he needs a break but can’t define from what?
It didn’t take long for me to get drawn into this story that had all the signs of being a predictable (but juicy) soap opera. However, it also didn’t take long for me to recognize this was so much more than a salacious family drama. Each sister had layers of issues to explore that factored greatly into the dynamics of their combined relationship. While there were a few Cinderella-esque moments, this was not a retelling of that story. Daisy is a pleasing person with subtle imperfections; Sage is someone who relies on her beauty and is largely superficial, even to herself; and Cassidy is the one who fell through the cracks, forced to choose sides in order to survive.
What I loved most about this story is how it shifted my perspectives about these women at every turn. Every time I thought I had them figured out, they’d show me something different. It was lovely to see them awkwardly create a new way to relate to each other as adults and embrace being sisters. It was a gradual process that wasn’t all smooth and bump free. But that’s what made it authentic. I opted to listen to the story and the narrator delivered a strong performance for each of the main characters as well as the storytelling. She was so good I finished in one day, unable to figure out a decent stopping point. It’s a strong tale about blended families and the powerful forces that can make them work…or break them. I enjoyed this one immensely.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to Harlequin Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
It didn’t take long for me to get drawn into this story that had all the signs of being a predictable (but juicy) soap opera. However, it also didn’t take long for me to recognize this was so much more than a salacious family drama. Each sister had layers of issues to explore that factored greatly into the dynamics of their combined relationship. While there were a few Cinderella-esque moments, this was not a retelling of that story. Daisy is a pleasing person with subtle imperfections; Sage is someone who relies on her beauty and is largely superficial, even to herself; and Cassidy is the one who fell through the cracks, forced to choose sides in order to survive.
What I loved most about this story is how it shifted my perspectives about these women at every turn. Every time I thought I had them figured out, they’d show me something different. It was lovely to see them awkwardly create a new way to relate to each other as adults and embrace being sisters. It was a gradual process that wasn’t all smooth and bump free. But that’s what made it authentic. I opted to listen to the story and the narrator delivered a strong performance for each of the main characters as well as the storytelling. She was so good I finished in one day, unable to figure out a decent stopping point. It’s a strong tale about blended families and the powerful forces that can make them work…or break them. I enjoyed this one immensely.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to Harlequin Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
******Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review *****
A really nice slice of summery women’s fiction from Susan Mallery. Three women, all with the same father (but two different mother) find themselves thrown back together as adults after one of them has an accident. They all have different problems in their lives but can they put their history behind them. Told from the points of view of two of the stepsisters, this has the characters finding themselves and each other. If you read Susan Mallery’s romances this is definitely not one of them - there are romantic elements it also a truly awful man!
A really nice slice of summery women’s fiction from Susan Mallery. Three women, all with the same father (but two different mother) find themselves thrown back together as adults after one of them has an accident. They all have different problems in their lives but can they put their history behind them. Told from the points of view of two of the stepsisters, this has the characters finding themselves and each other. If you read Susan Mallery’s romances this is definitely not one of them - there are romantic elements it also a truly awful man!
hopeful
fast-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
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
Family drama about 3 estranged sisters finding each other as adults and navigating their new found relationship. I enjoyed the story though one of the women made me so angry I nearly walked away from the last 2 hours but I stuck with it and enjoyed the eventual resolution.
Susan Mallery is back again with a new novel, The Stepsisters. It's a love story, but probably not the sort you're expecting – it's about the love between friends.
There was a time when Daisy was thrilled about the idea of getting a sister (stepsister, whatever). But then she actually met Sage. Sage was everything that Daisy was not, beautiful, popular, confident; you name it.
Meanwhile, Sage always knew that she was never going to be as bright as Daisy. She struck at Daisy however she could, and her ferocity was returned with enthusiasm. When their parents finally set to divorce, you would have thought that would be the end of it. You'd be wrong.
I am blown away by the characters that Susan Mallery defined in The Stepsisters. They felt so human, with real hopes, dreams, and, yes, flaws. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking all in one, and I have to respect that!
That being said, I can kind of see this being a novel that people will either love or hate. It's going to depend at least partially on your personal experiences. Take me, I'm an only child, and thus I've always had a fondness for the idea of siblings (something that I'm sure would have changed had I had to deal with another one of me all the time).
What I loved the most about this novel is how realistic it is. No, not necessarily the circumstances or any of that. But how long our actions and words can linger. Both Daisy and Sage were truly traumatized from the actions of the other, and that carried them into their adulthood. Mallery was able to perfectly portray this painful truth, and it made their story all the more potent because of it.
This was my first time reading anything by Susan Mallery, but I have to say that I am extremely impressed by what I found here. I'm going to have to go through her backlog sometime and see what else catches my fancy.
Thanks to MIRA and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
There was a time when Daisy was thrilled about the idea of getting a sister (stepsister, whatever). But then she actually met Sage. Sage was everything that Daisy was not, beautiful, popular, confident; you name it.
Meanwhile, Sage always knew that she was never going to be as bright as Daisy. She struck at Daisy however she could, and her ferocity was returned with enthusiasm. When their parents finally set to divorce, you would have thought that would be the end of it. You'd be wrong.
I am blown away by the characters that Susan Mallery defined in The Stepsisters. They felt so human, with real hopes, dreams, and, yes, flaws. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking all in one, and I have to respect that!
That being said, I can kind of see this being a novel that people will either love or hate. It's going to depend at least partially on your personal experiences. Take me, I'm an only child, and thus I've always had a fondness for the idea of siblings (something that I'm sure would have changed had I had to deal with another one of me all the time).
What I loved the most about this novel is how realistic it is. No, not necessarily the circumstances or any of that. But how long our actions and words can linger. Both Daisy and Sage were truly traumatized from the actions of the other, and that carried them into their adulthood. Mallery was able to perfectly portray this painful truth, and it made their story all the more potent because of it.
This was my first time reading anything by Susan Mallery, but I have to say that I am extremely impressed by what I found here. I'm going to have to go through her backlog sometime and see what else catches my fancy.
Thanks to MIRA and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
tense
slow-paced