Name: The Sister Effect
Rating: 3.75 (2 reviews)
ISBN: 9780008926526

Susan Mallery

The brand new romance from New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery No one knows you better...

The Sister Effect

	Finley  McGowan is determined that the niece she’s raising will always feel loved and wanted.  Unlike how she felt after her mom left to pursue a dream of stardom, and when the grandfather who was left to raise them abandoned her and her sister, Sloane, when they needed him most.  Finley reacted to her chaotic childhood by walking the straight and narrow—nose down, work hard, follow the rules.
	Sloane went the other way. 
	Now Sloane is back, as beautiful and as damaged as ever…and she wants a relationship with her daughter.  She says she’s changed, but Finley’s heart has been burned once too often for her to trust easily.  But is her reluctance to forgive really about Sloane, or worry over losing what she loves the most?  With the help of a man who knows all too well how messy families can be, Finley will learn there’s joy in surrendering and peace in letting go.  


            Social media has had a big hand in opening my world to authors I hadn’t previously found.  Years ago, I discovered the Brenda Novak Book Club on Facebook and fell in love with her books.  Every month, she has a book club selection, and one of those selections somewhere along the way was a book by Susan Mallery.  I devoured that book in one sitting, then scoured my library’s website hoping to find as many of her books as possible.   I started following Susan Mallery on Facebook, and one day there was a post inviting her fans to submit to be a part of her ”review crew.”  I had no idea what it entailed, but I was already reviewing books on GoodReads and Amazon, so I went ahead and threw my name in the ring.  My name was picked, WOOHOO!, and I have been part of her review crew since then.  Every time she has a new release coming out, I receive a copy so I can read it and post a review the first week it’s available. It was like winning the lottery. 

            I love Susan Mallery’s books.  They’re usually a nice reprieve from many of the books with much heavier subject matter.  That is one of the things I like most about romance novels and the people who write them.  This particular novel included some themes that were more hefty than many of the typical romance books will include.  Finley’s sister, Sloane, is battling alcoholism, and along the way, Sloane has managed to hurt many people, including Finley and her own daughter.  Finley, left to raise Sloane’s daughter while she spent time behind bars, held a serious grudge against Sloane, and it would take an act of God for forgiveness to happen.  Along the way, Mallery introduces us to Finley’s mother, a failed star, and her grandfather who abandoned them when they were young after losing the custody battle to be their permanent guardian.  So we’ve got addiction and abandonment already, then we meet Jericho who is still reeling from his wife’s affair (with his brother) that ended in a divorce. 

            Addiction, abandonment, infidelity…these are not “light” themes.  Throughout the entire book, Finley is just angry.  Everything in her life is shrouded in a cloud of anger…and after about half the book, it got old.  Finley was like a broken record in her righteous indignation.  It was almost exhausting.  However, the story took a turn that, in turn, turned a light on in Finley’s head (heart?) and her attitude did a complete turn-around (I was trying to see how many times I could use one word in a single sentence, how’d I do?).  It was a needed change.  During all the drama with her family, Finley also manages to fall in love with Jericho, so the romance existed.  For a while there, I was worried. 

            It’s a great book, despite the repetitive nature of Finley’s feelings.  It showcases how powerful the bonds of family are, and how resilient people can truly be.  Mallery is gifted at digging into the human psyche and telling her readers all about it. 

Kristen Claiborn

            Social media has had a big hand in opening my world to authors I hadn’t previously found.  Years ago, I discovered the Brenda Novak Book Club on Facebook and fell in love with her books.  Every month, she has a book club selection, and one of those selections somewhere along the way was a book by Susan Mallery.  I devoured that book in one sitting, then scoured my library’s website hoping to find as many of her books as possible.   I started following Susan Mallery on Facebook, and one day there was a post inviting her fans to submit to be a part of her ”review crew.”  I had no idea what it entailed, but I was already reviewing books on GoodReads and Amazon, so I went ahead and threw my name in the ring.  My name was picked, WOOHOO!, and I have been part of her review crew since then.  Every time she has a new release coming out, I receive a copy so I can read it and post a review the first week it’s available. It was like winning the lottery. 

            I love Susan Mallery’s books.  They’re usually a nice reprieve from many of the books with much heavier subject matter.  That is one of the things I like most about romance novels and the people who write them.  This particular novel included some themes that were more hefty than many of the typical romance books will include.  Finley’s sister, Sloane, is battling alcoholism, and along the way, Sloane has managed to hurt many people, including Finley and her own daughter.  Finley, left to raise Sloane’s daughter while she spent time behind bars, held a serious grudge against Sloane, and it would take an act of God for forgiveness to happen.  Along the way, Mallery introduces us to Finley’s mother, a failed star, and her grandfather who abandoned them when they were young after losing the custody battle to be their permanent guardian.  So we’ve got addiction and abandonment already, then we meet Jericho who is still reeling from his wife’s affair (with his brother) that ended in a divorce. 

            Addiction, abandonment, infidelity…these are not “light” themes.  Throughout the entire book, Finley is just angry.  Everything in her life is shrouded in a cloud of anger…and after about half the book, it got old.  Finley was like a broken record in her righteous indignation.  It was almost exhausting.  However, the story took a turn that, in turn, turned a light on in Finley’s head (heart?) and her attitude did a complete turn-around (I was trying to see how many times I could use one word in a single sentence, how’d I do?).  It was a needed change.  During all the drama with her family, Finley also manages to fall in love with Jericho, so the romance existed.  For a while there, I was worried. 

            It’s a great book, despite the repetitive nature of Finley’s feelings.  It showcases how powerful the bonds of family are, and how resilient people can truly be.  Mallery is gifted at digging into the human psyche and telling her readers all about it. 

The Sister Effect

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