Review by megpro7 - Blue Sisters

megpro7 's review for:

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

2.75

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

As a sister who deeply values that relationship in my life, I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, they were dashed. I thought the book tried to tackle too many complex topics and conflicts, and did so rather superficially. This may sound cold, but Nicki’s death seemed rather...unbelievable? Unrealistic? I believed her pain and suffering, but I didn’t think her sisters’ memories and accounts of her pieced together a person I could picture. I found Avery insufferable to the bitter end, and I wanted to see more development from her, especially as a fellow eldest sister. There were also so many scenes I found unnecessary, like Lucky’s encounter with the dancer in the alley of the club, and that whole plot line of “Nicki’s baby,” which added nothing to the story. I also found most of the dialogue unnecessarily long and droning. Also didn’t love that any character of color seemed to be included as an accessory and treated as such by the sisters. Really, I ended up sticking with it for Bonnie, whom I did find myself endeared to, and whose connection to Pavel I became invested in. That said, even the “baby’s” stream of consciousness at the end was such a disappointing note to land on. An eye-roll after what could have been a stuck landing on a stumbling routine. I did, however, get emotional over Avery’s call to Chitty when Bonnie went into labor; something about the loyalty and enduring love among women despite, or perhaps because of, history, conflict, and connection resonated with me. I wanted more of that throughout the novel, and certainly among the sisters.

Content Warnings