Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

I really enjoyed getting to know all 3 of the Lake sisters, Rae, Emmy and Noelle.

Over the two months spent decorating their childhood home back in their home town of Maplewood they learn as adults how to deal with their awkward childhoods in the town.

The Lake sisters always had a reputation for being creepy, they were bullied, one was studious, one was gay and one may have been a bit of a rock chick, and they lived on the outskirts of town in the woods.

None of them were particularly looking forward to these two months as they knew they may have to face up to all the old unpleasantness.

Despite them now being successful women, just being back home had them regressing back to their younger selves.

Filled with 90s nostalgia, this it's a story of righting old wrongs, reconnecting with the past and reforming stronger bonds as sisters.

I loved all three of them with their different personalities, and all with their own personal goals besides making the house look great.

This was a very enjoyable book and I look forward to seeing what the author writes next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sphere for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Emmy, Noelle and Rae are sisters. But they are not, you know, close....but their mum Willow has a plan to remedy that and she calls the girls home to help her out. This is a story of family, friendship, fun, sibling ties and some real laugh-out-loud moments. It’s a story of second chances, new beginning, deeper understanding and family dynamics and it has warm loveable characters you will want to get to know better!

Nothing beats a feel good story with three sisters as the main protagonists. Add to the mix the fact that they have gone back to the village where they grew up to renovate the house they grew up in whilst their mum is away. She's recently widowed and it makes for interesting reading.

The story revolves around three sisters, Rae, Emmy and Noelle. They didn't have the easiest of childhoods in their small village of Mapplewood, as they were bullied for being different. So since moving out to start their adult lives, they haven't been back that often. But when their mother asks them to re-do the whole house while she is away, they all agree to go back for three months. As you can imagine, when they arrive, they are not ready yet to face their past demons, but they soon realize that it is about time to show Mapplewood they are kick-ass women who don't care any more about what others think. Or do they?

I really loved the whole message in the story, how we need to embrace our own selves and be proud of who we are. It's not an easy task, but every little step forward counts. The sisters were always supportive of each other and had a very special bond. Eldest sister Rae was also very protective of her two younger sisters and was always on fight-mode, ready to defend them. It was great to see her character develop and how her sisters made her understand fight or flight are not always the only options.

In general, I think there was a very clear evolution in the main three characters. We really got to know them and we were able to understand them: we knew about their fears and their doubts but also about their strengths and their dreams. Also, there wasn't only hostility waiting for them in Mapplewood, some old flames and old friendships were also back in the village, ready to turn the sisters' lives upside-down. So we got to know some new sides of them because of that.

If you have read Lisa Dickenson's previous books, you will know about her hilarious sense of humour. Maybe this story is not as funny as her previous ones, but there were some great moments that added the perfect fun spark to the more serious tone of this book. They had me giggling repeatedly and I had such a great team down memory-lane with the sisters. There were many nineties references and as I am the same age as youngest sister Noelle, I loved reminiscing with them about the best of the decade.

My Sisters And Me has a very autumnal and cosy feeling, it even has a Halloween party. So I would definitely recommend picking it up and spend a few evenings reading it with a nice blanket and a hot drink. Best cure for the colder months!

Lisa Dickenson's writing is a pure dream to read.
So funny and real. I just cannot get enough she has created a laugh out loud brilliant read.
Full review to follow.

Nice book about sisterhood, old and new friendship, facing your fears and your old demons. It's also about bullying. The book is well written and I liked the Lake sisters and what happens to them. But unfortunately I didn't quite enjoy it. I found it a bit slow, I was hoping for more events and for more funny moments. I was also hoping for a bit of romance (there is a bit of romance but a little tiny tiny one). I read this book quite fast but can't say that I loved it.

Well, I didn't think I could love Lisa Dickinson anymore than I already did but i was wrong!

My Sisters And Me is just the perfect book, especially for this time of year, as summer ends and Autumn approaches.

The setting of Maplewood is delicious and has made me want to go to Devon even more!

For the Lake sisters, going home is a daunting task, but they promised their Mum that they would restore the family home so it could be rented out as holiday accommodation. Hello, Nostalgia! I think the 90s vibe is my fave part of this book! It's hilarious and fun and sent me right back to high school!

Sisters Rae, Emmaline and Noelle are the best characters! They're fun, sassy and clever but also a little vulnerable, which made them endearing. Jared, Jenny, Gabbi, Finn and Willow are a great supporting cast and brought some conflict and drama to the story. Oh, and mustn't forget Vicky the Chicken!

All in all, I bloody loved this book! It was an easy, fast paced, funny, sweary, sassy, feel-good story and I can't recommend it enough!!

Emmy, Rae and Noelle are three sisters all with totally different but successful careers but who still have some hangups about their childhood, so it is with some trepidation that they agree to come back to their hometown to renovate the family home for their mother. We soon find our that they had an unhappy time with the locals as children and were each bullied, partly due to the eccentricity of their parents...... but as strong successful adults can they put this behind them and come to terms with the past?

A really enjoyable book, I liked the totally different characters of the three girls and the dynamics between them, and how they reverted to their younger selves on returning to their family home

This story was not what I was expected it to be.

The tale is of three sisters who come together to fix up their old house, in a town filled with bad memories, while their mother is on holiday. This extended stay is meant to be a way for them to put old ghosts to rest and finally move on.

I have a sister and can legitimately claim that quite a lot of the dynamics between these three women is possible in reality. That being said, the biggest problem I had with this story was the whole moving on concept. All three women are around their thirties and I found it hard to accept parts of the story and their behaviour and also the behaviour of others around them. Sometimes when authors write in the voice of teenagers they do not succeed, but in this case none of the women sounded like the well established adults they are supposed to be.I would have been happier if they were just in their twenties, then I would have enjoyed the book more without that nagging sensation of something being off. I can imagine being ostracised by a town and the subsequent fight to reestablish some dignity into the equation, but it did not play out in a very believable fashion. The parts of realizations that each had, in turn, was interesting and I think I was happiest listening to the thoughts (even the little we had access to) of the eldest sister's husband and their little interactions. 

When weighing the good against the bad: the writing itself and the fact that I did manage to connect to parts of the book I would give it three stars.I am glad I got a chance thanks to NetGalley to read an advance copy of this book.

I was attracted to this story by the fact that it's all about three sisters - I myself have three sisters and so it caught my attention. I loved the family interactions that are so well described and giggled in empathy several times, the bickering was just like being with my sisters! I thought the way that the girls reverted to their teenage selves when they entered their childhood home was so very true to life, after all don't most of us revert when we go 'home'? A warm, family centred story that emphasises the point that being different is not a bad thing and loyalty and love are everything.

I have to admit something. (Whispers)I’ve never read a Lisa Dickenson novel. I seem to have them all on my Kindle, it’s just, well, you know how it is, the books you buy out of interest seem to get bumped all the time. But no longer. I loved this book! It is the story of three sisters who are deciding to help renovate their childhood home, a kookly Halloween-esque abode just outside the town of Maplewood, where they didn’t have the easiest of upbringings. Turns out the townspeople thought their parents were witches, and spent their time shunning the three very different sisters and trying to get them to leave. Each sister was picked apart and there was bullying and meanness.

So. Some fared better than others and some, including the lovely, timid, bookish Emmy, didn’t fare at all and just about made it out, now relieved to be living far away from it all, working as a robotics engineer for NASA and binge watching Stranger Things on Netflix. I suppose this is where I stop you. Stranger things and a nerdy job? I was so excited! I love modern day comedies and rom coms and chick lit, but the quirks of this book surpassed so much out there, Emmy with her kick ass job, Rae, an out there opera singer with her big bear of a hubby and Noelle an environmental lawyer? What was there not to love? And now, (as I skip off happily onto another tangent), the references? It was like Ms. Dickenson put my whole life into that book! The babysitters club, Point Horror, Aerosmith (I like to think early stuff!), Haribo, Three Men and a Little Lady (and Magnum P.I. and Tom Sellek), Grand Designs, Location Location Location, Sugababes, Buffy, The Hills, Steve Irwin, the magic 8-Ball- I could go on and on. These, added to her charming small town descriptions and atmospheric house – well they had me!

We meet all of the girls, with the book leaning towards Emmy as the lead, and find out the various reasons they didn’t follow the town’s small minded mould, with some excellently done consequences. There are a multitude of characters, some lovely (special mention for the local policeman), some not so much. The romance was perfection, the Halloween party, set to prove something to the town, epic, and I loved the ending.

The book made me smile and laugh the whole way through and I adored that any reminiscing wasn’t out to make you cry. I actually did cry near the end for a reason most people won’t, but it was one of those smiling-laughing hysterically-through-the tears-transported-to-another-time-and-place sort of cry. So not so bad. All in all a book that feels like it was made for me, a magical autumnal feel good book with the right ratio of dramatic baddies to wonderful goodies (they’ve definitely got the right townspeople on their side!), that left me with a warm hug that stayed long after I’d finished reading. Thanks (so so so so) much to Spehere and Netgalley for the book in return for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

A great book centred around three sisters. Thye've been called back to help rennovate their childhood home. They have to deal with some childhood issues. The book deals with lovely friendships, family dynamics, love and humour. The girls are so different from each other but enjoy this time together. Their parents eccentric life made for a difficult childhood in Maplewood.
The characters are really well drawn and engaging. They take a wonderful trip back with childhood memories mixed with present day. We can imagine living in Maplewood.

Three women are giving their childhood home a make over. It's going to get messy.

Willow Lake asks her three daughters to help renovate the family home, each has a reason to hesitate. The girls grew up in the Devon town of Maplewood, but it wasn't easy for the sisters. Noelle, the youngest, is comfortable with who she is now. Emmy, the middle sister, has always been quiet and bookish. Rae, the eldest, is painfully aware how the townspeople hurt her sisters while they were growing up.

With the sisters now being strong and independent, some things that happened did not seem to ring true. Like their mother going on holiday while her daughters renovate her house in the same town where her daughters were bullied by the locals. Also there were parts of the story that just seemed to drag on. This is a tale of love, friendship, determination and facing your fears with some humor thrown in the mix. I did enjoy this book, just not as much as I thought I would.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group UK and the author Lisa Dickenson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so into this book as soon as I picked it up but I was disciplined and spread out the Joy of reading it over several days rather than eating it up in one sitting! If you love books that have a message of being yourself, embracing your individuality and of course Girl Power, then you're going to like this one.



The book revolves around three sisters, Rae, Emmy and Noelle. Each of them have things in their past that haunt them, but have made them what they are today and each of them have insecurities about both of those things. Rae is an opera singer, such a cool career and she has an amazing husband (who I may have had a little bit of a crush on) but she still has some ideals about living as a rebellious teenage when she returns to their family home. She also has some hang ups about being the mother hen of the siblings and so it was great to see her working her way through both of those things.



Emmy is an amazing scientist and a pioneer for women in her field. She was bullied as a child because of her intelligence and the glasses that went with it and she is a little scared to come back out of her comfort zone where people embrace her intelligence rather than bully her for it. I think she is the sister that I identified with the most only I don't think I would be quite as brave as her in certain situations. Then we have Noelle who came out as a teenager and that didn't go down well in the village she lived in. She is now a top environmental lawyer and is also in a world where no one judges her the way her hometown did but she also has some skeletons in her closet back home that she must exorcise.



Another major part of this book is the fact that the sisters are doing up their childhood home so there are some fabulous home renovation scenes to enjoy, I really liked the feeling of cleaning things out and cleaning them up along with the sisters and regeneration is definitely a key message in this novel. There are some really fun scenes involving some amazing 90s nostalgia scattered throughout the novel which were just the best. The sisters teen nostalgia is just the same as mine and I loved experimentation with hair mascara, babysitters club books and of course fond memories of Dream Phone!



There are some great messages in this book about the way we judge others and certain prejudices that should be avoided at all costs but also message about the way we judge ourselves. I loved reading about the way the sisters stuck together throughout the novel even if they didn't always see eye to eye on some topics. I also loved the theme of girl power running throughout the novel and I would LOVE for there to be a sequel, I want to know what the Lake Girls are doing now!

Thank you for providing me with a copy of this book to read. I enjoyed this- easy to read albeit a little predictable.

3 successful sisters return to their family home to renovate it for their widowed mother .Unpleasant memories of the family being misunderstood by the other villagers are rekindled and as the story evolves, all 3 girls learn how to cope with the blatant dislike and mistrust of their neighbours. Well written,and humorous in parts, I enjoyed reading this book ,and will look out for further novels from the author.

Rae, Emmy and Noelle are the three Lake sisters, as they are known in their childhood village Maplewood in Devon. They all visit their home rather reluctantly, as the place is full of sad and traumatic memories from their childhood and school years. They, in fact, couldn't wait to leave Maplewood. Now Rae is married and is an opera singer, Emmy is a robotic engineer and Noelle is an environmental lawyer. However, at the request of their mother Willow, who, after death of the girls' father started to travel the world, the girls are supposed to take sabbatical from work, come back home and renovate it for rental while Willow is again on the road. To say they're all a bit wary would be an understatement, considering all the things that had happened in the past, and they are scared to face the village but there is no other option for them. How is it all going to play out?

I have warmed to the three sisters immediately. They were so easy to like and they had the best jobs ever. Noelle was environmental lawyer and I loved her interactions with Big Daddy, Rae was an opera singer (how many opera singers do you know?) and Emmy's job was one in a million - she had something to do with building robots that she was sending then into space. They were all so passionate about their jobs and you could really see that they're doing things they love to do. And oh yes, they were kick - ass sisters! It was brilliant they were all so different but no matter what they just stick together. I loved them all. But most of all I think I loved Jared *sigh*, and most importantly, I loved Emmy around Jared - she was then always so relaxed and funny.

Now, guys. I do love a Lisa Dickenson's book. I've been reading and adoring her novels from the very beginning and this is why I went into "My Sisters and Me" with great expectations and actually certainty that this book is - again - going to blow my socks off with its brilliancy, humour and general greatness. And this is why, because of this feeling of certainty, I found myself reading and reading and starting to PANIC. Literally, panic and wondering, what's happening? For a long time it was a solid 3 stars read for me, while I was sure it's going to be a 10 out of 5 stars read. I've missed more humour, pace and action that I so well know from Lisa's previous books. Those were actually Jared and Finn that saved the reading for me - they were brilliant characters, full of this Lisa's hallmark banter and one - liners that the female characters maybe lacked a little this time. Don't get me wrong, the three sisters were great, strong heroines, they were funny and their bond was genuine and out of this world fantastic, and I simply adored them all and kept everything crossed for them, but still the story felt too flat and too slow for my liking, and there were some things that bothered me all the time, like why the hell the residents of Maplewood hated the girls so much, even though they never did anything wrong and why their parents did nothing in that matter? Yes, Lisa did try to explain those things but somehow it just didn't sit with me and didn't convince me - probably because, as I have already mentioned, I ADORED the sisters and couldn't understand those that didn't like them as much as I did. so there.

But.

But oh my, does the book make you think and reminisce! Even though I'm a little older than the sisters, their journey back in time was a fantastic trip down memory lane for me as well. I am very 90's chicka and all the mentions of clothes, music, posters on the wall were like opening a photo album for me. And Bonnie, how could "Mr. Vain" make you confused??? But this novel also brought back some memories that I'd rather, just like the sisters, leave unearthed somewhere deep, deep down, where it's very dark, and I could really identify with the characters on this level. As always, the dear Lisa Dickenson chooses the best setting ever. This time we're not travelling abroad but still, Maplewood and the house in the woods where the girls lived were fabulously described. Lisa has brilliantly captured the essence of a small town and its residents, close - knit community, with their prejudices and beliefs. And Lisa's writing stays the same, it's light and easy and so captivating, almost addictive, and it had me glued to the pages. You feel together with the characters, their fears, exasperation and happiness, their confusion and desperation. You laugh and cry with them and you just so want for everything to go smooth for them in the end. The descriptions are full of laughter and Lisa knows how to use her words to break the ice.

"My Sisters and Me" was full of sunshine, this overwhelming feel - good factor. It featured strong women who were developing all the time, finding their courage to feel good in their own skin, women who loved and were not afraid to say when they were not happy. It was about friendship and family dynamics, about revisiting your childhood and fighting the demons, facing the troubles and staying strong to your beliefs, and I absolutely loved this message. It brilliantly captured this mixture of happy childhood memories and those worse ones, and addressed all the old traumas showing that it's really not so difficult to face the opponents and old memories. Would I recommend this novel? Hell, yes - just go and treat yourself to this book when it's out!

The prodigal sisters return to their home town and cause just as much havoc as they did as teens. Within minutes of arriving they're already the talk of the town, but they don't understand why. Needless to say they get into all kinds of scrapes, seek out old friendships and even get a second chance at romance. A feel good read about being true to yourself, with lots of laughs along the way.

3.5 stars ✨

I love Lisa Dickenson’s books. She’s always a good choice if you’re looking for some fun and laughter. I was very much looking forward to reading this because of those qualities. I did enjoy this story but I didn’t find it as funny as her other books. Since their mother is always traveling, the three girls—Rae, Emmy, & Noelle—go home to renovate their childhood home to rent out. Going back to Maplewood, however, isn’t a very pleasing prospect. They have always been the outsiders in that small town because of their parents eccentricities. So they aren’t looking forward to that but love spending time together. I was expecting more laughs from the renovation, perhaps some mishaps, but it was mostly reconnecting with a few friends and watching the town being hateful towards the sisters even though they don’t do anything wrong. I liked the book but just wanted more “bloopers”. The sisters were good characters and I really liked Jared:) I guess I was wanting more though.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review. (less)