Review and Giveaway - Sisters One, Two Three

Author: Nancy Star
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction
Type: Trade Paperback
Pages: 331
Source: TLC Book Tours
Publisher: Lake Union
First Published: January 1, 2017
First Line: "Ginger Tangle had nothing against nature."

Book Description from GoodReads: After a tragic accident on Martha’s Vineyard, keeping secrets becomes a way of life for the Tangle family. With memories locked away, the sisters take divergent paths. Callie disappears, Mimi keeps so busy she has no time to think, and Ginger develops a lifelong aversion to risk that threatens the relationships she holds most dear.

When a whispered comment overheard by her rebellious teenage daughter forces Ginger to reveal a long-held family secret, the Tangles’ carefully constructed web of lies begins to unravel. Upon the death of Glory, the family’s colorful matriarch, and the return of long-estranged Callie, Ginger resolves to return to Martha’s Vineyard and piece together what really happened on that calamitous day when a shadow fell over four sun-kissed siblings playing at the shore. Along with Ginger’s newfound understanding come the keys to reconciliation: with her mother, with her sisters, and with her daughter.

At turns heartbreaking, humorous, and hopeful, Sisters One, Two, Three explores not only the consequences of secrets—even secrets kept out of love—but also the courage it takes to speak the truth, to forgive, and to let go.

My Rating: 4/5 stars

My Review: The Tangle family is the focus of this book and how a tragedy which occurred decades before continues to affect each of them differently.  Family is a complicated group of relationships that can be messy, tragic, loving, funny and even heartbreaking. But it is never dull.  

In her latest book, author Nancy Star shows just how complicated these bonds can be, especially when family members are holding on to long-held secrets. Sisters One, Two Three focuses on the relationships between three generations of family members within the Tangle family.  By alternating between present day and flashbacks to their childhood, Star shows how tragedy affects people differently and how influential these familial bonds are in forming who we become in our adult lives - how we view ourselves and relate to spouses, siblings, parents and our own children.  

This is a character driven read with a good pace and some hearty twists - one of which reveals a tragic family disaster.  The reason for the family disaster was new to me and I applaud the author for bringing this issue, which is more prevalent than I would have thought, into her story line.

The characters are diverse and while they were not always likable I felt that they were well-drawn and interesting.  I can't say I was always on board with their decisions but the plot pulled me in enough that I had a hard time putting the book down in my need to find out how things would end for the Tangles.  I could relate to some of the characters, to varying degrees, but found Ginger to be a frustrating character initially with her obsessive worrying and some of her decisions as she struggles to be a good wife, mother and daughter.  I had similar feelings for Glory who was a very over-the-top character and a hard person to understand initially.  But by the end of the book I had a clearer picture of both women giving me a better understanding about the reasoning behind some of their questionable choices.

Overall, this was a good read that will give you all the feels.  From anger, to frustration, to sadness to hope, love and resolution Star brings her readers into the nitty gritty of the Tangle clan.  And with the Book Club Guide at the back of the book I think this would make a great book club selection.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to TLC Book Tours for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest reviews.

I'm giving away one copy of Sisters One, Two, Three by Nancy Star to one of my readers (sorry, only Canadian and American are eligible to enter).  

Enter below!  Good luck!

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