This story was so addictive at the beginning, bringing us to a family with two very different sisters - the shy, reserved Amy and the intense, flighty Olivia. But as the story progressed, my patience with Amy grew thinner and thinner, and I didn't feel I really got the story the blurb was offering.

I was hoping we'd see Olivia's side of the story, because while she could leave devastation in her wake, I felt like I could almost understand why she left her uptight family so many times. But I felt for most of the second half she faded into the background until the end.

Amy is an extremely difficult character to like. She constantly seen as rude, dismissive and judgemental by everyone around her, and she's also emotionally unavailable in her relationships. At the end, she came across as selfish, and jealous of the life her sister had carved for herself.

Shred Sisters hit me on a personal level—my sister and I are very different people, and we've struggled over the years to stay close. Betsy Lerner captures the messiness, love, and complexity of sisterhood so beautifully, I found myself both moved and seen. Her writing is sharp, honest, and full of heart. I’ll definitely be reading more of her work—I feel like I’m late to the party, but so glad I made it.

‘No one will love you more or hurt you more than a sister’

Written through the eyes of the younger of two sisters from childhood to adulthood, this raw, honest, and heartfelt novel follows their journey. I was drawn into the storyline, which explores the challenges faced by a family affected by mental health. The character development was impressive, and I felt like I was reading a memoir, almost as if I were intruding on their pain.

I particularly loved Ollie and would have loved to have seen the story through her eyes. Towards the end, I found myself tearing up, and the last line was particularly poignant. I would recommend this book to fans of The Paper Palace and The Best We Could Hope For.

A great book that features complex relationships between the characters. I sped through it and really enjoyed the reading experience.

Messy and toxic family dynamics and sisterhood examined through a really emotive and compassionate lens. I loved reading this book! A super powerful and emotional read.

noone can hurt you like those you love. but if love hurts than that is truly,truly love. even the joys with the people you love most can hurt simply because you love them completely.
so when an illness or something brings a sadder or darker time it can truly feel like alot...even at time too much. but what also get people through something others cant fathom is live. what gets a family through things others on the outside couldn't begin to imagine is love. love is a strength like no other. families who know this KNOW this. but that does NOT make it any easier and it takes bravery on both sides. this is especially the case with mental illness. you have to hold on tight. you have to keep holding. and you have to keep coming back and back and back even when you just cant come back. when it feels too hard or too much that is the time you have to push one more time every time. the mental illness tries to push everyone else away. the support you can give is key, often the key to shredding its hold on the sufferer. but this is Never EVER easy.
this story is raw and real. its hard but wow can it reach you in a number ways. especially if you 'get' it. im not quite sure whether this book touches on it with too much 'movie' or even a little "that isnt what a mental illness is" but it was no where near as offensive as some that have attempted to cover it. some of those made me sick.
the impacts of mental illness are never easy and this book portrayed that well. its also never linear. its hard for both sides of the illness. you cant imagine how hard for those suffering and equally for those watching or loving someone in so much often pain and turmoil and darkness.

3.5 stars
I loved reading about Amy and Ollie’s lives, there were total opposites but perfectly balanced each other out. I saw a lot of myself in Amy, and for that I really enjoyed her narration and inner struggles with her sister. My criticism of this book comes from the lack of depth. It felt like there was something missing, I’m not sure if it was the character development or ending but I wanted something more from this story. I wish the ending wasn’t as rushed either, the last 100 pages or so felt unnaturally fast compared to the previous pace of the story. Still, an enjoyable and at times emotional read.

Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner captures astutely a messy relationship between sisters and the impact that mental illness has on both of them.

I enjoyed the start to this and the scene with the shards of glass was really memorable. I appreciated the overall themes about how experiences in your early life can influence and impact your later life and relationships in unexpected ways.

But the writing style wasn’t for me. It felt very flat and detached and lots of descriptions of things happening then later something else happened. It was almost more of a memoir than a novel, which I think was intentional but it didn’t work for me. It kept reminding me of other novels that I enjoyed and that took me out of the story.

I really loved this book. It was so well observed, touching with the beauty of our complex relationships taking centre stage. I would really recommend it. It’s easy to read whilst also being a more thinky book. Thanks to NetGalley and Verve books for the ARC.

"No one will love you more or hurt you more than a sister" is a wry aphorism that appears late in this debut novel. Over the course of about two decades, there is much heartache for the Shred family, but also moments of joy. Ultimately, a sisterly bond endures despite secrets, betrayals, and intermittent estrangement. Through her psychologically astute portrait of Olivia ("Ollie") and Amy, Betsy Lerner captures the lasting effects that mental illness can have on not just an individual, but an entire family. There is inherent repetition to descriptions of mental illness and addiction; Amy, too, sometimes seems trapped in bitterness and self-sabotage. Nonetheless, Lerner has achieved a vivid and emotionally involving family tale peopled by convincing characters.

Shred Sisters lays bare difficult family dynamics and how mental health can unsettle these bonds. The characters felt real and raw. I enjoyed the development of the characters and their relationships over the course of the book. This is definitely a slow paced read that’s moving and deep. I would have loved to have gone into even more depth but I liked some of the unanswered questions, this made it more true to life and we could see from Amy’s point of view and her experience. Overall an interesting book that I think delivers on the important themes. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.