Author: Lisa Beazley
Publication Information: NAL. 2016. 320 pages.
ISBN: 1101989866 / 978-1101989869
Book Source: I received this book through the Penguin First to Read program free of cost in exchange for an honest review.
Opening Sentence: "Later - much later - I would regret pretending to be asleep when Leo sidled up to me in bed that night."
Favorite Quote: "You've got to stop waiting for something to change and make something happen. You have all of the ingredients for an exciting life, but maybe you haven't figured out the recipe yet. (Oh Lord, that was corny - sorry - but true!)"
Two sisters. Two husbands. 4 children including a set of three year old twin boys. Parents. Siblings. In-laws. Friends. Frenemies. Tons of secrets only sisters share. One year of letter writing. And, last but not least, the internet. Put all these elements together and you have life. Put them all together in a book and you have a laugh out loud book about life and things that just sometimes happen.
The premise of the book is that two sisters - Cassie and Sid - feel like they don't know each other as well anymore even though they were very close when younger. Cassie, her husband, and her toddler twins live in a small New York City apartment. Sid, her husband, and two kids currently live in Singapore on an expatriate assignment for her husband.
Cassie is all about the urban lifestyle, technology, and social media. Since the birth of the twins, her life has, to put it mildly, changed. She resigned her job to be a stay-at-home parent. Her apartment, hard won and perfect for life before children, seems cramped. Her stroller doesn't seems to fit New York streets and stores. Even her marriage seems changed. She adores her kids and loves her husband, but something about her life seems to not fit. Whatever happened to the person she used to be?
Sid, on the other hand, is all about yoga and good works. Sid became a single mother at a young age and is now married and mother of two, one heading off to college and one still a toddler. Her husband travels significantly, and Sid tries to find meaning and belonging in a new place.
Their letter writing campaign is one that could only take place between sisters or best friends. It is the uncensored environment in which you feel comfortable saying anything, and you do say anything and everything. Sometimes, the conversation is about nothing and everything. If you are fortunate enough to have a friend or sister like that, you will completely relate. The letters sound sad, happy, and even outright childish and whiny at times as such a conversation is likely to be. Above all, they are meant to be a private conversation between the two sisters. As Cassie thinks, "the things you say when you think no one is listening are a lot different from the things you would say otherwise."
Sid's and Cassie's escapades are relatable and sometimes laugh out loud funny, all the more so because they are not my own. Even though the sisters, particularly Cassie, make some questionable choices, I still find them both likable and find myself cheering for them especially because underlying all their bravado and mistakes is a abiding love for their families.
The drama escalates when the conversations they thought were private turn out to have been not so private after all. Oh dear! Choices have to made, apologies have to be said, and relationships have to be repaired. Again, the stuff of real life.
The book does wrap up at the end in a neat package not quite like real life, but in this instance it works. I care about the characters and want to know whether things work out for them or not (no spoilers here!). A lovely, light-hearted read about sisters and about life.
Two sisters. Two husbands. 4 children including a set of three year old twin boys. Parents. Siblings. In-laws. Friends. Frenemies. Tons of secrets only sisters share. One year of letter writing. And, last but not least, the internet. Put all these elements together and you have life. Put them all together in a book and you have a laugh out loud book about life and things that just sometimes happen.
The premise of the book is that two sisters - Cassie and Sid - feel like they don't know each other as well anymore even though they were very close when younger. Cassie, her husband, and her toddler twins live in a small New York City apartment. Sid, her husband, and two kids currently live in Singapore on an expatriate assignment for her husband.
Cassie is all about the urban lifestyle, technology, and social media. Since the birth of the twins, her life has, to put it mildly, changed. She resigned her job to be a stay-at-home parent. Her apartment, hard won and perfect for life before children, seems cramped. Her stroller doesn't seems to fit New York streets and stores. Even her marriage seems changed. She adores her kids and loves her husband, but something about her life seems to not fit. Whatever happened to the person she used to be?
Sid, on the other hand, is all about yoga and good works. Sid became a single mother at a young age and is now married and mother of two, one heading off to college and one still a toddler. Her husband travels significantly, and Sid tries to find meaning and belonging in a new place.
Their letter writing campaign is one that could only take place between sisters or best friends. It is the uncensored environment in which you feel comfortable saying anything, and you do say anything and everything. Sometimes, the conversation is about nothing and everything. If you are fortunate enough to have a friend or sister like that, you will completely relate. The letters sound sad, happy, and even outright childish and whiny at times as such a conversation is likely to be. Above all, they are meant to be a private conversation between the two sisters. As Cassie thinks, "the things you say when you think no one is listening are a lot different from the things you would say otherwise."
Sid's and Cassie's escapades are relatable and sometimes laugh out loud funny, all the more so because they are not my own. Even though the sisters, particularly Cassie, make some questionable choices, I still find them both likable and find myself cheering for them especially because underlying all their bravado and mistakes is a abiding love for their families.
The drama escalates when the conversations they thought were private turn out to have been not so private after all. Oh dear! Choices have to made, apologies have to be said, and relationships have to be repaired. Again, the stuff of real life.
The book does wrap up at the end in a neat package not quite like real life, but in this instance it works. I care about the characters and want to know whether things work out for them or not (no spoilers here!). A lovely, light-hearted read about sisters and about life.
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