The Sisters We Were

The Sisters We Were is the debut novel by Wendy Willis Baldwin and is the story about complicated family dynamics and the impact long-held secrets have on two sisters, Ruby and Pearl, and their mother, Birdie who have drifted apart for years after a fateful event that changed their family.

Despite years apart, when morbidly obese Pearl schedules a life-changing weight loss surgery, Ruby comes to help Pearl with her recovery. Using current day and flashbacks, Willis Baldwin shows how the childhood trauma the sisters experienced continues to affect their relationship. 

Inspired by the author's sister's struggle with weight, the premise was solid and the opportunities for poignancy were there, but the delivery was weak and unbalanced. Most of the story focused on Pearl's obesity instead of including Ruby and Birdie's POVs which would have made for a more well-rounded story. Also, mystery about the event that changed their lives was clear from the onset, but not addressed in near enough depth. I wanted tension and emotion, but the sisters seemed to overcome decades of emotional baggage too easily and the dialogue sometimes felt juvenile giving the story a Hallmark/After School Special feel.

This is a story about family secrets, rebuilding relationships and is a journey of self-discovery and healing. It is a lovely way for the author to honour her sister and her struggles with obesity, but despite the topics addressed, the story wasn't as emotional or compelling as I had hoped.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for a complimentary digital copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Wendy Willis Baldwin

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Type and Source: eBook advanced copy from publisher

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

First Published: January 17, 2023

Book Description from GoodReads: Pearl and Ruby's choices drove them apart.

Finding their way back to each other might be the only way forward.

The weight of their family secrets could not have shaped Pearl and Ruby Crenshaw any differently. Ruby's a runner, living in Dallas and only reluctantly talking to their mother, Birdie, when she calls from prison. Pearl is still living in her mother's fixer-upper and finds herself facing a line in the sand: her weight is threatening to kill her. She's hundreds of pounds beyond the point where she can celebrate her curves or benefit from the body positivity movement, and unless she takes drastic action, the future looks dire.

But when Ruby's buried rage explodes in a hilariously viral way, the mistake has life-altering consequences. Now the sisters are back living under the same roof and forced to put the pieces of their separate lives together again. Funny, cinematic, and bursting with heart, this is a story of hope and redemption that celebrates the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.