Review: Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

Blurb:

Avery, a strait-laced lawyer living in London, is the typical eldest daughter, though she’s hiding a secret that could undo her perfect life forever.

Bonnie was a boxer but, following a devastating defeat, she’s been working as a bouncer in LA – until a reckless act one night threatens to drive her out of the city.

And Lucky, the rebellious youngest, is a model in Paris whose hard-partying ways are finally catching up with her.

Then there was Nicky, the beloved fourth sister, whose unexpected death left Avery, Bonnie and Lucky reeling.

When, a year later, the three of them must reunite in New York to stop the sale of their childhood home, they find that it’s only by returning to each other that they can navigate their grief, addiction and heartbreak and learn to fall in love with life again.

My thoughts:

Blue Sisters is a touching story of sisterhood, grief and individualism. Coco Mellors does a stunning job articulating the ups-and-downs of a family dynamic, as well as showing all human beings just want to be seen, heard and loved.

The story follows the lives of three sisters, with the chapters each being multiple points of view. There’s the eldest, Avery; followed by Bonnie and Lucky as they grapple with the death of their third born sister, Nicky.

All the characters are well crafted, each with their own backstory. Avery, an addict turned lawyer; Bonnie, a boxer; and Lucky, who has a career in modelling. I liked that they all had their own lives in different cities across the world, which added to the story in so many ways, including understanding why there was such poor communication between the siblings.

We meet the characters one year after Nicky’s death. It sometimes felt frustrating watching their mistakes unfold, but at the same time it felt real – especially in the midst of grief. It’s not linear. Everyone deals with it differently.

There are many side characters in Blue Sisters, too many to keep track of. And while none stood out to be that interesting, especially in comparison to the three main characters, I did like that they all added to the story – particularly Avery’s wife and the parents.

It felt realistic that in death Nicky was thought of with such fondness, emphasising how she was so much better than the sisters in their eyes. That’s just a realistic part of grief, putting someone on a pedestal. As readers, we aren’t going to be aware of Nicky’s flaws like the other characters because she is shown through the lens of loss and sadness. I quite liked the unreliable narration surrounding her as it made the sisters seem even more realistic.

There are many topics this book delves into including shinning a light on endometriosis, addiction and estranged families that readers may want to be aware of before picking it up.

The hype for this one is very much warranted and it’s definitely a contender for book of the year in my eyes.

Rating: 5/5

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