Scan barcode
A review by caitlins_bookshelf
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
this one is a story of four sisters. avery, a lawyer in london. bonnie, an ex boxer now working as a bouncer in la. lucky, the youngest, working as a model and currently living in paris. and their beloved nicky, who died a year ago and is the reason the three remaining sisters return one by one to their family home in new york.
and it was so brilliant!! something about the writing was just very readable and drew me in immediately. the book starts with a prologue giving a background on all the sisters, so right from the start you feel like you know them quite well already. the whole book is very character centred, pretty much just focusing on a few weeks of these women's lives and the way they're all coping a year down the line from nicky's death. and understandably they're not doing too good ! they are all messy in a lot of different ways, and at times they were all a little infuriating. (if you've read it, I feel so bad for chiti!!!) but they were so real! it felt like I was reading about real people dealing with real problems, and it was so fascinating to slowly learn about their relationships with each other, and with their parents. there were also occasional snippets of their childhood which only added more depth to their characters. I think I've rarely been so engrossed in a character focused book, so if that's your cup of tea I definitely recommend it on that front
it covers a lot of deep topics - loss and grief of course, mother-daughter relationships, sisterhood, chronic illness - and all pretty beautifully. and a large focus is on the ways that the sisters struggle with addiction in a variety of different forms (goes without saying that you should definitely check the trigger warnings if you're interested in this one!). but the whole thing was written so exquisitely it didn't feel like too hard a read for me. it was also queer which I had no idea going into, so that was a very pleasant surprise!!
it was quite slow - mainly because of what a deep dive it was into these characters I think - and while I enjoyed this for the most part, it did start to drag a little in the middle which is why it's not quite five stars. however ! on the whole I really loved it, and I liked the epilogue where we get to see the sisters ten years down the line. big big recommend!!
and it was so brilliant!! something about the writing was just very readable and drew me in immediately. the book starts with a prologue giving a background on all the sisters, so right from the start you feel like you know them quite well already. the whole book is very character centred, pretty much just focusing on a few weeks of these women's lives and the way they're all coping a year down the line from nicky's death. and understandably they're not doing too good ! they are all messy in a lot of different ways, and at times they were all a little infuriating. (if you've read it, I feel so bad for chiti!!!) but they were so real! it felt like I was reading about real people dealing with real problems, and it was so fascinating to slowly learn about their relationships with each other, and with their parents. there were also occasional snippets of their childhood which only added more depth to their characters. I think I've rarely been so engrossed in a character focused book, so if that's your cup of tea I definitely recommend it on that front
it covers a lot of deep topics - loss and grief of course, mother-daughter relationships, sisterhood, chronic illness - and all pretty beautifully. and a large focus is on the ways that the sisters struggle with addiction in a variety of different forms (goes without saying that you should definitely check the trigger warnings if you're interested in this one!). but the whole thing was written so exquisitely it didn't feel like too hard a read for me. it was also queer which I had no idea going into, so that was a very pleasant surprise!!
it was quite slow - mainly because of what a deep dive it was into these characters I think - and while I enjoyed this for the most part, it did start to drag a little in the middle which is why it's not quite five stars. however ! on the whole I really loved it, and I liked the epilogue where we get to see the sisters ten years down the line. big big recommend!!