Blue Sisters: The highly-anticipated new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Cleopatra and Frankenstein: The instant top ten bestseller ... Frankenstein - your perfect summer 2024 read

Felt like I was a part of the family, one of the sisters. This was such a strong yet soothing read. Highly recommended if you’re grieving loss of a loved one, so many of my questions indirectly found answers. I was able to smile, cry, breakdown and fall apart but also found myself a warm hug and comfort.

Coco Mellors’ Blue Sisters is an emotional exploration of sisterhood and grief. It also throws a light on how the characters in the story navigate the weight of their dysfunctional family dynamics. It’s a raw and poignant novel that delves into the fractured lives of three sisters (Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky) who are brought back together on the first anniversary of their sister Nicky’s death. The narrative weaves through the lives of these women, each battling their own demons in the aftermath of the loss of their beloved sister. Avery, the eldest, has rebuilt herself after addiction and homelessness, carving out a successful life as a lawyer. Bonnie, once a promising boxer, has turned to a life of physical endurance and pain to cope with the emotional scars of her past. And Lucky, the youngest, is drowning in the chaos of her own self-destruction, numbing herself with substances as she struggles to find meaning. As they reunite in New York to confront not only their shared grief but also their toxic parents, their long-buried emotions and secrets begin to surface. What unfolds is a beautifully painful exploration of loss, identity, and the ways in which love can both wound and heal. I think this is what makes this novel a touch above the rest in its genre, it opens up the layers of the siblings' relationship with themselves as they try to make sense of their lives after their loss. In the wake, they also make peace with their past and Avery, who has had to deal with a lost childhood, in the process, manages to forgive her parents and offload the baggage of abandonment. The author's writing is evocative and captures the raw ache of sibling bonds, the desperation to belong, and the messy ways in which we attempt to mend what’s broken. The sisters’ journey is devastating yet hopeful, making it a novel that lingers in your heart long after the last page.

The book came in perfect condition with a timely delivery. My rating for the book is ★★★☆☆ A dense and intimate novel about grief inside a dysfunctional family. How does a family cope with the loss of their youngest member? When four sisters—who once felt like four seasons—are suddenly reduced to three, their parents announce they’re selling the New York two-bedroom apartment the girls grew up in. They also ask the remaining sisters to divide their late sister Nicky’s belongings. Scattered across the world, the three surviving sisters return home after years apart, forced to confront their loss together. Mellors’ writing shines in her detailed, compassionate portraits of each sister. The way she paints both the living and the dead gives the novel a palpable sense of sisterhood across ages and stages of life. Her exploration of addiction and healing within a fractured family is especially powerful. Bonnie standing before the artwork, replaying the moment of Nicky’s death—simply outstanding. There are passages that beautifully capture sisterhood: the entangled bond between Lucky and Nicky, Bonnie’s quiet love for Pavel and her boxing discipline, Avery’s kleptomania and relationship struggles, and Lucky’s battle with addiction. What struck me most is that grief runs so deep in this family because Nicky—the only truly non-dysfunctional member—is the one they lose. That’s what compels you to uncover what happened to her, and what happens to those left behind. But the novel drags in several places. Mellors leans heavily into the addiction arc: the alcoholic father, Avery and Lucky’s drug dependency, Bonnie’s attachment to pain, and a mother with almost no maternal warmth. These traits are enough to understand the emotional terrain early on, but repeating them across many pages slows the pacing significantly. I didn’t enjoy large portions of Lucky’s storyline, especially her scenes after the fight with Avery and her coping mechanisms. The Lucky–Riley sections were especially overextended. At certain points, this felt like a collection of New-Yorker problems wrapped in a predictable arc. The ending—particularly the clichéd epilogue—lacked impact. I didn’t love the book. I respect Mellors’ meticulous detailing and her commitment to character, but the story itself doesn’t land with force. Slogging through 350 pages didn’t feel worth the payoff.

It's damaged

Such a endearing read! Finished in one read! Love stories of sisterhood and grief

Packaging , quality and story all good .

If you like Sally Rooney’s writing, you’re going to absolutely love this!

The book came in a pretty good condition even thought the packaging wasn’t.