This felt a lot more rounded than Coco Mellors' debut novel while recycling most of the themes discussed in Cleopatra and Frankenstein: substance abuse, love, and (re-)discovering your identity after loss. You have to admire Mellors for her ability to create characters that feel real from the very first sentence, as if you'd known them all along. Despite being an only child myself, I found the sisters' relationship incredibly touching und almost equally liked them, which is rare for multiple-POV novels – if it hadn't been for Avery whose story arc lacked the subtlety which made the others' stories so special. Nonetheless: a beautiful novel about love between siblings, loss, and the knowledge that you can start again any time you want. Would highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. Blue Sisters" by Coco Mellors follows the complex and tumultuous lives of a set of sisters, each grappling with their own set of challenges. Unfortunately, this book didn't quite resonate with me.

While the premise had potential, the execution left much to be desired. The story leans heavily into themes of addiction and self-destruction, overshadowing what could have been a poignant exploration of grief and familial bonds. Instead of evoking sympathy, the characters' relentless downward spirals felt more exhausting than engaging.

Each sister seems determined to ruin her life in her own unique way, and this relentless focus on their negative actions made it difficult for me to connect with or care about their journeys.

I have this authors other book which I’ve not yet read and it’s been sitting in my kindle for a while. After reading this I will definitely be bumping it up my to read list. Beautifully written

This book caught my attention immediately. The cover is absolutely beautiful, just like, ‘Cleopatra and Frankenstein’s,’ and I was so eager to get my hands on a copy of this book. I could feel it would be a book that I would love to immerse myself in and it did not disappoint!

It’s filled with angst, pain and raw emotion. The characters are spiralling in a world of their grief and independent hurts and are immensely struggling to keep themselves on a good path, not wanting to share their troubles and determined to keep fighting for their own survival.

It subtly shares the cracks within the relationships between the parents and children, suggesting the potentials for the sister’s life choices and situations, which holds a true reflection of potential outcomes in reality.

This story is scattered with tender moments, sprinkled with the beauty of hope and a wanting for healing, that leaves you rooting for the sisters. It is wonderfully written, with great character development.

I give this book 4.5 stars.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and all involved in allowing me an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

Blue Sisters is the first book by Coco Mellors that I have read, and it is safe to say that I will be picking up Cleopatra and Frankenstein at some point soon. Mellors’ dive into the life of three sisters — Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky — as they navigate their way through crises and grief after the death of their sister Nicky, is poignant and melodic. Mellors jumps between each sister smoothly yet distinctively, and I found myself welling up at various points throughout the book. Each location and moment is concocted with detail, which paints a vivid picture of both the sisters and also the cities in which they live.
Thank you so much to 4th Estate for this reading copy! 3.5/5

This is a really beautifully-written and thoughtful novel exploring the relationship between sisters and the impact of grief. Each of the main characters are relatable in one way or another, and I found myself genuinely concerned at the thought of their unravelling over their grief. Although the book deals with heavy subjects - grief, addiction, growing up, parental issues - it’s done so in such a thoughtful and reflective way. This is the first novel I’ve read by Coco Mellors and I’ll definitely been seeking out her other work!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for a review!

Each of the Blue sisters tell her story as time progresses from the death of Nickey. Difficult to have a huge amount of empathy with any of them

This book made me ache for the absence of sisters. As someone who grew up with an older brother and mostly boys and men around me, reading about these women coming together after a traumatic loss made me yearn for the powerful bond that is sisterhood. Coco Mellors captures girlhood, the complexities of family in such beautiful, visceral ways. The way she writes about realising that your parents are not only parents but people and that they have their own individuality really hit me. A lot on grief, addiction, fighting (literally and metaphorically) and love.
Highly recommend! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC :)

Three estranged siblings return to their family home in New York after their sister's death in this poignant story of grief, identity, and the complexities of family.

The Blue sisters are exceptional and couldn't be more different from one another. Avery, the eldest, a recovering heroin addict turned lawyer, lives with her wife in London. Bonnie, a former boxer, now works as a bouncer in Los Angeles after a crushing defeat. Lucky, the youngest, models in Paris while escaping her wild lifestyle. After their sister Nicky's sudden death, Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky are left reeling. A year later, they must return to New York to prevent the sale of their childhood apartment.

Confronting their childhood disappointments and the loss of their sister, they discover their deepest secrets were hidden not from each other, but from themselves.

A beautiful story with really wonderful writing, demonstrating how grief affects everyone differently. While the story wasn't exactly what I expected, it still grabbed my attention and I found it really thought-provoking.

I did struggle with a couple of the characters in terms of their likeability, but I feel this is to be expected with stories like Blue Sisters.

Blue Sisters is a beautiful novel about three sisters who have lost their fourth sister, a year after the fact. Coco Mellors always writes books that are extremely hard to put away, I don't know how she does it, but I always read her books so quickly!
That being said, I did think that the characters in this book were very similar to the characters in Cleopatra & Frankenstein, so that disappointed me a little. I hope her future books will be a bit more distinct in that regard.

This was my first time reading a book from the author but I am delighted to say I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I look forward to reading more books from the writer in the future.

I liked Cleopatra and Frankenstein when I read it earlier this year, but I LOVED Blue Sisters. Complicated sibling dynamics, addiction and grief are all explored in this character driven narrative that kept me gripped from beginning to end.

Lucky, Bonnie and Avery are all navigating difficulties in relationships, careers and family in the wake of their sister, Nicky's death, as they come to terms with their own grief and what they want from a world without Nicky in it. Avery is a high-flying lawyer with a perfect marriage and idyllic life in London, but when her carefully constructed facade begins to crumble, she becomes tempted to tear it down herself. Bonnie was a successful boxer until she lost a fight following Nicky's death and escaped to LA, and returning to New York forces her to consider what she - and her heart - really wants. Lucky has been modelling since she was sixteen and is used to a life of partying and success, but when her nights and days begin to blur in an alcohol-induced haze, she has to question whether she's really in control of her lifestyle. Woven throughout a story filled with arguments, truces and deep-rooted love, is Nicky - the sister they lost, who connected to each of them in a way that is impossible to replicate.

When I opened up to the first pages of Blue Sisters, I thought to myself, “this couldn’t be as good as Cleopatra and Frankenstein”, a book I devoured last summer. Can the lightning of Coco Mellors’ golden pen strike twice? The answer is yes - I actually loved Blue Sisters even more than its darling predecessor.

BLUE SISTERS is the story of three sisters, Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky Blue, in the year following the tragic death of their sister Nicky. Mellors delicately traces the complexities of sisterhood, love and grief, creating a deeply gut-wrenching and layered tale with realistic characters and engaging moments. Put simply, it is full of depth and beautifully written. Mellors delightfully captures the spiralling, sweet and sour sense of both having, and being, a sister.

It is, ultimately, a story about addiction. Each of the sisters has struggled in one way or another with it. Oldest sister Avery is 10 years sober, whilst the youngest Blue, Lucky, is catapulting through life and has major drink & drug problems. This book is also about pain and loss, making it sound like it would be a hardship to get through. But it isn’t. Mellors wraps you up in the lives of the sisters and makes you care so much about them. You feel like you’ve become one of them yourself - a Blue. The sadness of the writing is peppered with warmth and humour. Dancing between London, LA, New York and Paris, I love how Mellors characterises these modern cities, her words and pages transporting you, a magic, papery portal. Her writing is so vivid, so rich, so moving. The last lines gave me chills, which is always my body’s way of telling me, “This was good. I like it here. Let’s stay for a while.”

I will read anything Coco Mellors writes. Eagerly awaiting her next book ! 💋 5⭐️

The Blue Sisters had a difficult childhood - their father was an alcoholic and their mother was distant. Living in a tiny flat in New York the sister’s relationship was often not easy but the bond was very strong.
As they hit their teens 3 of them escaped into modelling, boxing and a life in London, leaving the 3rd sister, Nicky, behind. When she dies suddenly they all take terrible life decisions to try to cope with their loss.
As they return to the flat to prepare it for sale can they help each other get to a better place?
Blue Sisters examines addiction in all it forms and isn’t an easy read in places. Many of the characters are awful, particularly Avery and Lucky, and very difficult to relate to. However, it is well written and well paced, I certainly wanted to know how their lives would pan out. The ending feels right and not neatly ended, life isn’t like that.

Another beautifully written story from Coco Mellers.
The death of one of their sisters affects the remaining three sisters in completely different ways. Individual and different, the sister’s childhood was overshadowed by the moods of their alcoholic father and distant mother but they were there for each other, as adults they became distant, each with their own issues. The characters are all complex but relatable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read Blue Sisters

The Blue sisters have always had each other. Avery the oldest struggled with addiction but has gotten her life together, became a lawyer got married. Bonnie became a very successful boxer and won a world title. Avery, the youngest became a model young and has since struggled with abusing substances so readily available in her world. Then we have Nick, a school teacher struggling with managing pain that comes with her endometriosis. One year ago Nicky died after accidentally overdosing on painkillers, and her death sent the rest of her sisters into a tailspin, not to mention their mother is ready to sell the apartment they all grew up in. They reunite where they rediscover how much stronger they are when they are a unit again.

This book was so heartbreaking. It deals very indepthly with grief, addiction, heartbreak, and family relationships. It was a beautiful exploration of sisterhood. The author is very gifted at making you realte and feel for very very flawed characters.

This book follows sisters Avery, Bonnie and Lucky one year after the death of their sister Nicky.

There were many elements of this book that I thoroughly enjoyed, the most notable being the writing quality! Like Mellor’s first book Cleopatra & Frankenstein, this book was beautifully written and the language helped you to sympathise with and feel the emotions of the characters. I appreciated that each sister had their own distinct story and personality. Out of the three sisters Bonnie was by far my favourite character and I loved her story and her character arc! I also liked how we learnt more about Nicky and her situation as we went through the book.

However, I found Avery (and to some extent Lucky) deeply, deeply unlikable. At times I struggled to get through the book due to how awful they were. I felt like Avery in particular could have done with having at least one solid redeeming characteristic to help you get behind her. Additionally, I don’t think I was fully able to grasp the relationship between the sisters and their parents, particularly between them and their dad. I think I’d have appreciated a little more information there.

While I did enjoy this book, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed and it wasn’t quite what I expected. Given the subject matter, I was expecting a slightly more emotional read than I think this ended up being. I was conflicted with what to rate this (between a 3.5 and 4 stars) but ultimately decided on a 4 stars due to the writing quality.

This book has a very similar tone to Cleopatra & Frankenstein, but I would say with even less likeable characters (and I know the characters in C&F weren’t exactly likeable either, but I found those characters more charming and easier to read). Overall, not quite what I expected by I’m still glad I read this.

Thank you very much to 4th Estate and NetGalley for the ARC!

Coco Mellors’ writing breathes fresh life into the narration, making the novel both engaging and thought-provoking. “Blue Sisters” is not just a tale of sisterhood and familial bonds but also a reflection on personal growth and the strength found in connections.
One of the standout aspects of the book is the authenticity of the sisterly bond. The relationship between all of the four sisters is portrayed with all its complexities—love, rivalry, misunderstandings, and unbreakable loyalty. Mellors skillfully navigates their individual and shared journeys, making their struggles and triumphs feel deeply personal and relatable.
This book is a poignant and immersive read that stayed with me long after I turned the last page. Coco Mellors has crafted a beautiful tribute to the power of sisterhood and the resilience of the human spirit. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a deeply moving and well-written story.

Many thanks to Netgalley and 4th Estate and William Collins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't put this book down!
The writing in this book was stellar, and although the chapters were long, I did not mind them. The dynamic between the sisters and how their lives unfolded was so well done! It's my absolute favorite read of the year!

An exploration of grief, trauma and addiction that celebrates the power of finding yourself and being true to who you are. Brilliantly brought to life flawed characters who implode their lives in order to build them back, together. A stunner!