sisters

It started with a hoax. A simple prank to convince the entire school that Missy and Claire Vianello were not just cousins, but identical twins. What seemed like a simple prank led to a story of untangling of a secret buried under years of deception. Three Black Swans is a YA suspenseful fiction book by Caroline Cooney. Overall, I would rate this book a 2.5 stars out of 5. The concept was interesting and the beginning of the book was engaging. However, as the book went on, the plot got less suspenseful and more boring. The longer I read, the more it felt like reading a chore. The cover was well

The Twin by Natasha Preston is about two separated twins who recently lost their mother and were reunited to stay with their dad. The main character the reader follows is Ivy. We see her attempt to continue her normal life while living with her twin and the death of their mother. While living with her twin, Ivy notices some weird behavior.

I rate this book a 2 out of 5. The plot was very predictable and the book was boring for a thriller. The characters were underdeveloped for high schoolers and the dialogue was unrealistic. The story progressed very slowly and was frustrating. The book

Can’t Look Away, by Donna Cooner, is a realistic fiction book. Torrey Grey, an amazing beauty vloggers’ life changes, when her sister dies. After her sister dies, fans are blaming her for the death. Hate comments are bashing Torrey. Now, that she goes to a new school, can Torey trust the people? What if they know about her sister’s death?

I enjoyed reading this book because it has a really good plot. I also think that the title is creative. It was a good book because it included many details. Torrey is trying to deal with the hate comments, while she moves to another school, in a different

Jayne Baek is struggling. She is struggling with her college, her friends, her boyfriend, and her secret eating disorder. Her sister, June, is the total opposite of Jayne. She is wealthy; she has a nice apartment, and has had an easy life. That is until June develops cancer. Now, both sisters unite to be there for one another.

This book is all about vulnerability and sorrow. The main character has a realistic personality, she isn’t perfect. Jayne and her sister are very complex and trying to navigate their lives for the better. The author did very good job describing the experiences of

To Night Owl From Dogfish is a family bonding and funny fiction by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer. This book is about Avery and Bett, whose dads want them to be friends because they are dating. The dads send them both to a camp, where they become closer but the dads become more distant. Avery (one of the two girls) sees her mom for the first time in 10 years. Their dads break up, but the girls stay close and trick their dads to enroll them in the same summer camp.

I love the way the author presents the story not as a story but as a chain of emails and letters. I recommend this book

Two twin teenage witches, Mercy and Hunter Goode, are next in line to become protectors of the gate to the underworld. Everything seemed to be going alright, until their mother becomes the first victim of the creatures that lurk in the underworld. Now, they must set all aside and protect the world. Will they succeed in their task? Read more to find out!

Personally, I didn’t like that this book was a slow burn. I thought that there would be more to happen because this book was so long.  I like the idea of the plot, but the book was just written in a way that makes it seem boring and snail

In a society where a one child policy is enforced, Ava Goodwin has a secret, one that her mother died for. That secret is Mira Goodwin, or her identical twin sister. In order to prevent being found out, they have traded places every day for the past eighteen years. It was great for the both of them, their biggest concern being an upcoming ball, until one day their act is exposed. Now on the run, their bond as sisters and willpower are tested as obstacles are pushed into their way. Will they be able to survive? Or will the Rule of One prevail?

The Rule of One by Ashley Saunders and Leslie

The Deadly Sister by Eliot Schrefer is a mystery novel with complex twists and turns.  Abby Goodwin has always been the overprotective sister. Saving her sister, Maya, was almost like a part-time job for her. Unfortunately, as they grew up and matured, they started drifting apart. One day, Abby finds Jefferson Andrews, the popular, the smart, and the “perfect” boy at their high school dead. As she slowly unravels and follows the trails of clues, everything points to Maya and everyone suspects Maya. Will Abby be able to protect her sister one last time?

I enjoyed this book but not as much as

This book is realistic fiction. The main characters of this book are Maxine, London, Alice, and Rose (Maxine’s sister). The main characters want to get out of the place they are trapped in (The Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded) because they are diagnosed as morons, imbeciles, and idiots because of something “bad” they did. Their parents dropped them off there because they didn’t want them, and the main characters know that they won’t come back. That is why they don’t see a reason to leave.  London tries to get out but she gets caught on a farm she ran to for food and water. London

Little Women is a classic realistic fiction novel. It is divided into two parts, both telling the story of four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. The first part is set at the end of the Civil War, and relates the story of these four loving sisters and their mother waiting for their father to come home from the war. They each have different temptations and struggles, but ultimately they bond together to create a loving household filled with laughter and joy. During this first part they meet their next door neighbor, Laurie, who will become their closest friend. The beginning half of the book

For the first time in the game’s history, Caraval will be held twice in one year, within weeks of each other. Only this time, Tella will be playing. Unlike the others, however, Tella will not be playing for fun. She needs to repay a debt to a mysterious man that she bargained with and who only wants one thing: Legend’s real name. To get it, Tella must win Caraval.

When reading a series, I always prepare for the disappointment that is the second book. In my experience, it rarely measures up to the first and quite often, the author ends up writing ridiculous stories in an effort to keep

The story of Little Universes is about two sisters. One is very dedicated to her studies, and wants to go to college, while the other has mental health issues, and leans on drugs for support. After the sisters parents die, they bond together through challenges.  I liked the style of the cover.  I picked out the book because I was curious about the challenges of the sisters, and if in the end they would bond, or be torn apart.     
  

In 1893, witch trials are rampant, especially in the town of New Salem.  Juniper, Agnes, and Bella are three sisters bound together by magic after years of separation.  While having to work through buried conflicts with themselves and each other, these sisters realize how magic and witchcraft are on the brink of extinction.  Together, these sisters work with witches in the town of New Salem to combat the misogyny and anti-witch attitudes that dominate New Salem society, all the while learning the value of their own witching abilities and womanhood.

The most compelling aspect of the book was

The Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia is ravaged by the opioid epidemic. One sister, Mickey Fitzpatrick, patrols the streets as a police officer. The other sister, Kacey Fitzpatrick, works the streets and succumbs to addiction at an early age. The sisters keep their distance from one another now. Their relationship is strained but each hopes a reunion is right around the corner, just as soon as Kacey can get clean.  

Mickey narrates her harrowing and heartbreaking life in "Now" and "Then" chapters that unveil the slow, never ending battle against addiction as she watches her sister

Nefertiti follows the titular character through the eyes of her sister, Mutnodjmet, from their early life through Nefertiti's swift ascent to the throne as one of history’s most powerful women. Headstrong, cunning, and limitlessly ambitious – Nefertiti defies tradition to become Egypt's first female co-regents during one of its most tumultuous and unique periods, with Mutnodjmet as her near-constant, often reluctant companion and advisor. All the while, Mutnodjmet—a  thoughtful, intelligent young woman with a passion for healing and nature—yearns to find her own destiny, away from the courts

The Boston Girl is told by 85-year-old Addie, who revisits her long life of memories during an interview given by one of her grandchildren.  It’s an incredibly intimate one-sided conversation that completely ensnares the reader.  This storytelling style made me feel as if Addie was my grandmother.  Like other special books with superb storytelling, The Boston Girl envelopes the reader inside a bubble.  While reading it, you feel like you are living the story and your real life is just an inconvenience that exists outside of the bubble. 

Addie Baum is both fiercely independent and

Wanna hear a ghost story? A fabulous tale about sisters, secrets, family, fire, death, and ghosts?

I'm not usually a fan of scary or horror stories, but The Thirteenth Tale is a mystery with many twists and turns that I find quite intriguing and just a little spooky. Follow biographer Margaret Lea as she discovers the true past of reclusive author Vida Winter. Piece together the hints and secrets as she reveals her extraordinary existence. Is Vida Winter who she says she is? Who set fire to the house? Is there really a ghost?

Notes: I listened to this book and the narration is very well

"After their English aunt dies, listless American twins Julia and Valentina travel to London to live in their aunt's now empty flat overlooking Highgate Cemetery. There they become embroiled in the day-to-day sagas of their eccentric neighbors. But soon they discover that something is alive in Highgate--something unable to move on."

A haunted, aging apartment in north London, bordering one of the most famous cemeteries in the world, complete with an unusual set of inhabitants and a bit of London's darker history sprinkled throughout . . . no one had to convince me to pick this one up. 

Flynn Berry's Under the Harrow is a murder mystery turned inside-out, where "Whodunnit?" is overshadowed by "How do you process tragedy and loss?" It's a dark, haunting ride, with a few twists you may not see coming. (I didn't.)

When Nora goes to an English village to visit her sister, only to find her brutally murdered, she immediately decides to investigate the murder herself, despite the police doing everything they can to solve the murder. What Nora doesn't realize, but what quickly becomes apparent to the reader, is she's in no psychological state to do this. The book flashes back and

Growing up in a rural British Columbia is difficult enough for Jess, Courtney and Dani Campbell before their mother dies.  But after their mother passes things really get difficult. One night things get really bad; Jess grabs the shotgun and accidentally shoots and kills their dad.  Afraid of what will happen, the girls hide the body and take off for Vancouver before anyone can realize what has happened. When the truck breaks down in the middle of nowhere they reluctantly accept help from two young men who are passing by and things go unbelievably downhill from there.  Because they fear a

Writer Taisy Cleary moves into the pool house at her father's house, invited there after two decades of silence. Wilson, her absent and hateful father, is recovering from heart surgery and wants her to write his memoir. Taisy's presence is at first greatly resented by Willow, her little known half-sister. Willow is sixteen and after being homeschooled her whole life, is forced to attend high school and is struggling to fit in. Up until now, Willow's world has been tightly controlled by her father.

Taisy secretly hopes her return to her hometown will bring her into contact with Ben, her

The Waverley family, Claire and Sydney, both have the gift of helpful magic. They live in the charming town of Bascom, North Carolina where it’s autumn and as temperatures fall, everyone and everything grows restless and problems flourish.

Claire runs Waverley’s Candies out of her kitchen, making handcrafted confections. Business is so good she can’t keep up with demand on her own. When someone offers to buy the business, Claire is stuck in a quandary.

Sydney owns a successful hair salon and knows what hairstyle will look best on anyone. But she’s reluctant to fire a new hire who isn’t

Maud, in her eighties and suffering from dementia, can't find her dear friend Elizabeth. She knows Elizabeth is missing because her phone calls go unanswered, she's never home when Maud visits, and Maud has left herself notes in her pockets and throughout the house to remind herself that Elizabeth is missing. 

Maud retains the ability to recall details of her past with unfailing clarity. She often forgets what has happened five minutes ago, but constantly brings up details surrounding her sister Sukey's disappearance years ago. 

Maud tries to figure out the two mysteries, Sukey's

Growing up on one of the South Carolina outerbanks islands, Eleanor was a wild child who knew no fear and who loved to play the piano.  Her sister was the beauty queen.  Now in her 30's, Eleanor lives with her sister, brother-in-law and mother in a small house on the mainland.  Eleanor works in an office and moonlights as a piano player in a bar to help make ends meet.  When Eleanor is offered extra work by her boss to be a companion to his elderly aunt that lives on the island she grew up on Eleanor snaps up the opportunity not only to make more money but to get out of the house and away from

Kate and her twin sister Violet were born with what they called “senses”-certain psychic abilities that they are aware no one else they know has. Throughout their difficult childhood, Kate runs from these abilities, while Vi embraces them. For Kate, her relationship with Vi is one of embarrassment due to Vi’s choices and lifestyle, but equally one of great need for the one person who really understood her.

Each chapter jumps between their childhood with a detached father and a mentally unstable mother, to many years later with Kate as a married mother of two young children and Vi a single

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd tells thte story of Lily Owen. In the summer of 1964, Lily was 14 years old and living in South Carolina. When she was very young, her mother had died under mysterious circumstances. Lily was raised by her abusive father and by Rosaleen, an African-American woman her father brought into their home to look after Lily.

1964 was an intense time for the civil rights movement. One hot summer day, Rosaleen gets into trouble with some of the white men in town. Before they knew it, Lily and Rosaleen find themselves on the run. Lily decides to follow a clue on

In Allen's debut novel we meet the Waverly sisters Claire and Sydney in their hometown of Bascom, NC. The Waverly family has lived in Bascom for generations and their unusual garden is the stuff of legends in the area. The Waverlys and their garden have somewhat of a curious reputation due to their garden and its plants that have special powers.

Claire Waverly has turned her unique and magical garden into a successful catering business. Sydney who left Bascom as soon as she graduated from high school has just returned to Waverly with her 5 year old daughter and a secret.

Claire and Sydney

Children of first generation Vietnamese immigrants, Van and Linny grew apart when their mother bought a house allowing them separate bedrooms. Once close, as adults they are now bound together only by their traditional father who has called them home to celebrate his finally having applied for U.S. citizenship.

As the two women work through their separate problems, and cope with the eccentricities of their demanding father they reach an understanding of what it means to be sisters.
Fans of Gish Jen’s Typical American will appreciate this story of one family’s immigrant experience.