Friday, June 18, 2021

Review: The Stepsisters by Susan Mallery (Blog Tour)




The Stepsisters
Susan Mallery
On Sale Date: May 25, 2021
978-0778331803, 0778331806
Trade Paperback
$16.99 USD, $21.99 CAD
Fiction / Family Life / Siblings
416 pages


About the Book

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery pens a love story of a different sort…a heartfelt tale of friendship between two women who used to be sisters.

Once upon a time, when her dad married Sage’s mom, Daisy was thrilled to get a bright and shiny new sister. But Sage was beautiful and popular, everything Daisy was not, and she made sure Daisy knew it.

Sage didn’t have Daisy’s smarts—she had to go back a grade to enroll in the fancy rich-kid school. So she used her popularity as a weapon, putting Daisy down to elevate herself. After the divorce, the stepsisters’ rivalry continued until the final, improbable straw: Daisy married Sage’s first love, and Sage fled California.

Eighteen years, two kids and one troubled marriage later, Daisy never expects—or wants—to see Sage again. But when the little sister they have in common needs them both, they put aside their differences to care for Cassidy. As long-buried truths are revealed, no one is more surprised than they when friendship blossoms.

Their fragile truce is threatened by one careless act that could have devastating consequences. They could turn their backs on each other again…or they could learn to forgive once and for all and finally become true sisters of the heart.

My Review

Daisy had been so delighted when her widower father remarried.  Her stepmother came with her own daughter, Sage, and Daisy had high hopes for this new family.  When Daisy’s father and her stepmother had their own daughter, Cassidy, Daisy was even more excited about her new family.  However, things did not work out for Daisy.  Her stepmother and her new sisters became one unit and turned on Daisy out of jealousy.  

Things got even worse when Daisy married Sage’s first love.  The family totally fell apart with everyone going their separate ways.  Now, Daisy has two children and is still married but the marriage is on the rocks.  Daisy receives a frantic call from her father begging her to help Cassidy.  She’s been in an accident and needs both Daisy and Sage’s help.  Reluctantly the three women agree, but their relationship remains shaky at best.

I was immediately drawn into this book.  I loved Daisy from the start.  She’s not perfect, but who is?   It took me time to warm up to the other sisters, but they each brought their own qualities to this emotional story.  I found it captivating to watch the character growth of each sister.  There are no perfect characters in this book.  They are all flawed, but realistic.

I found this book to be a page-turner as I really wanted to know how it would all play out.  Just when things look really hopeless, you wonder how the author is going to turn it all around.  Susan Mallery has a wonderful talent of creating characters you care about in situations that seem impossible.  I enjoyed this one and I’m already craving for another Mallery book.


For reading challenges:

NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2021

FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions expressed are my own.



About the Author

#1 NYT bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming, humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives―family, friendship, romance. She's known for putting nuanced characters in emotional situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books have been translated into 28 languages. Susan lives in Washington with her husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Visit her at SusanMallery.com.

Social Links


Buy Links

Amazon  
Target  
Indigo  
Kobo  


1 comment:

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my blog! I always love reading comments and getting to know my readers!

After some careful consideration, I've decided to become an award-free blog. Although I appreciate and am honored by each and every award I've received, your comments and friendship are enough award for me. Thank you all so much for your thoughtfulness.

Due to way too many spam comments, I disabled the Anonymous User comments. We'll see if this works, otherwise I'll have to go back to word verification.