What a absolute riot! This book had me laughing like a hyena. The quick witted word play is fabulous. The characters are well regulated with their banter and the relationship between them.

A really fun read. Made me smile from the first page. Family divided, 3 generations of a musical family. Divided by a male.
Twin sisters who love the same man, one who he married and had a daughter with, then leaving her for the twin sister.
A rift of 5 years is only put aside when their mum goes AWOL.
Full of twists and turns. Enjoy I did

I have been reading Kathy Lette books since the Llama Parlour in the 90’s. I love her style and wit and it simply doesn’t age. This book does not disappoint. Always a pen array of familiar yet strong characters who refuse to let life’s struggles get in the way. Another triumph. Thanks for making me laugh out loud, usually in public.

Another laugh-out-loud book from Kathy Lette. This story of forty-nine-year-old Izzy and her estranged twin sister Verity, as they deal with a mother who's gone AWOL, is filled with witty one-liners - I particularly enjoyed the concept of f*cktose intolerant. If you love seeing the funny side of less-than-perfect family relationships and women dealing with the challenges of middle age, raising teenagers and wayward exes, this book will keep you entertained.

oh someone should have taken a picture at the side of my immediate grin when i saw this beautiful author had another book. it came across my scroll and i immediately backpedalled in a fashion i think she would appreciate "waiiiiiiiit a minute there" my eyes readjusted when her post flickered back into my screen. and there it was. a new book. and boy i need one of her right now. smile at the ready even before i began. i could already here her voice waiting for me. i could already picture the feel good moments i was going to have. and that is when you know an author has magic in them. i wasn't even reading and i already felt better! come on, that is magic.
so really you dont need my review. im not biased. if an author falls of a cliff with their writing i wont lie. but i wasn't worried. and nor should i be. this was another wonderful read. so funny. so witty in that dry and sarcastic way that hits my core and makes it laugh. but also connecting. also somehow reflective and makes you think and feel and does so in a way that it just feels ok to do so.
you care for these characters. you know Kathy does. and that in itself feels like you are being cared for by this book, by this read. because it just feels better to be reading it.
dont get me wrong. this isn't without some themes and some really deep stuff going on. i mean eeeesh.
our two estranged sisters are like that for a reason. and it made me almost emotional from the start when you read why they got there. and are we already picking sides?
but their mother is now missing. soooo what you gonna do. well of course you need to come together. but was i still on my chosen side and feel begrudged that one sister had to? ermmm maybe.
but money is a force to be reckoned with here. not least when a younger man is after it. they know they have to stop their mother being swindled.
Izzy and Verity quickly made me feel for them both. and quickly made me want to support them both with helping their mum. i mean dont mess with our mums right? but that doesn't stop the lingering resentments or feelings that feel pretty huge at times.
this was just the book i needed and it came at the right time.
there is all the charm from the author we have all come to love. but also the knowing, the feelings, the way you can still get emotional for whats going on. perhaps even more so because of how Kathy gives us access to it.
you need to get into these books. and when you do you will find the groove and find the love for them. all those years ago i admit i was a bit "closed in" about it. it felt too loud for me. but ha, a fair few years(and more) and a fair few years of Kathy and it feels like i just know her words, manner and style and it feels like coming home each time. it feels like i can be safe in her words. she IS who she is, and that has become more important to me over the years, and made me love her and her work even more.

“Don’t break up with life!”

I have to say I haven’t read a Kathy Lette book before but had heard a lot of praise. I was able to read this book after getting an early copy and was so glad I did.

Sister breakups, family drama and romance, don’t we all know what those feel like!! I thought it was the perfect balance of mid life moodiness and lighthearted new beginnings. It was funny and sad in equal measure.

There were times where I wanted to scream at Verity and Bella to pull themselves together but, as well all know, the happy endings take time! The characters were loveable (mostly, looking at you Jonny) and the ending satisfying. I was smiling so much when finishing this book and that is a perfect sign of a well written story!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, admittedly, more than I thought I would and would definitely recommend.

A light read with plenty of humour although the constant bickering between the main character Isabella and her twin sister, Verity, does grate at times. The twins are polar opposites in lifestyles and personalities . Also there are a whole host of other diverse characters from an aging rocker to a Swiss Alpine Horn player to a police dog handler amongst others. Entertaining with short chapters so easy to pick up and read in short bursts.

I love books about sisters and I love this one! I’ve always wanted a sister and as an only child it’s so fun getting to live it out vicariously through this book. It shows the not so sweet side of sisterhood, but also how it can be repaired and reshaped which I absolutely loved! Adore Kathy Lette! Can’t wait for next book

I really enjoyed this book.
Will recommend to others.
Thanks for the opportunity to read & revew it.

Absolutely brilliant! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending it.

Love this authors work and this book dod not disappoint. Thought it was a very good read and already told friends about it. Well worth it.

A funny and dramatic story of two estranged sisters who reunite to put a stop to their mother's relationship with a much younger man.

I couldn't put the book down.

this was a really fun read. it made me smile, it made me giggle from the first chapter.

there is a family divide, 3 generations of a musical family all divided by a man.

twin sisters who love the same man, one he married and had a beautiful daughter with but then he leaves twin one for twin two!!!!

this story was full of lots of twists and turns I loved it so much.

London, England. Isabel and Verity Nightingale are twins and they have not spoken for five years and Izzy will never forgive her sister. Verity had an affair with her bad boy rocker husband Johnny, breaking one of the main sisterhood rules and she vows to never speak to her again.

When their mother Nicole a well-known and prestigious orchestra conductor goes missing, Verity and Izzy have no choice but to join forces to try and find her. Nicole has decided life is short, she’s going to do what she wants and her daughters are shocked by her attitude, lack of common sense and what she’s been up to.

Add in some hilarious situations, predicaments and characters like Gawain the Swiss Alpine horn player, Irish music student and police dog handler Farquoir, Chrissie Izzy and Johnny’s teenage daughter and Nicole’s manager Melissa the story has so many layers and complications.

I received a copy of The Sisterhood Rules by Kathy Lette from NetGalley and Aria & Aries in exchange for an honest review.

Ms Lette has a way with words, included in the narrative are comments that will make you laugh out loud and quite often we all think these things and would never say them.

A story about sisters, betrayal, facing what has been done, looking at it from both sides, from pain comes healing, from honesty comes forgiveness, and having a sister is a gift and don’t let anything come between you and especially a man and what’s between his legs.

OMG Kathy is still totally hilarious and has the best delivery and one liners EVER and how can it be forty seven years since she wrote the Aussie classic Puberty Blues? I highly recommend and five stars.

I enjoyed this and the family dynamic within it. Sisters may have fallen out but finding a common enemy brings them back together!

It shows how sisters will (eventually) have each others backs even when the men in their life are trying to pit them against each other.

A good read.

"Why is the world so obsessed with women's ages? Every interview I do references it... Do they want to chop me down and count the rings? Ageing is just another word for living, girls."

Twin sisters Isabel and Verity can't stand each other - but fear that their mother may be heading to Dignitas (a possibility which is quickly dispatched - they discover her in some kind of Alpine glamping ground having the time of her life) brings them together.

Much of the time, the heightened comic style of 'The Sisterhood Rules' feels only loosely tethered to reality - it's not subtle, but full of funny moments and scattergun one-liners. Amidst this, there are moments which feel very real, like the beautifully written passage in which Isabel feels nostalgic for their shared childhood bedroom and sisterly camaraderie: "sprawled on our single beds, dreaming, scheming... the vinyl records spread out across the carpet". I also loved the scene where Isabel feels a sudden, stark empathy for her sister ("Did I feel a loin-flutter of schadenfreude? A soupçon of revenge? Nope. What I felt was unutterable sadness").

'The Sisterhood Rules' reminded me of the golden age of chicklit (a term which isn't politically correct anymore, if it ever was) such as Sophie Kinsella and Helen Fielding's fiction - a screwball kind of humour that despite all the pratfalls is undeniably intelligent.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

If you have read a Kathy Lette book before then you know what is ahead…laughs…..many of them……a good multi layered story and a whole lot of innuendo ( some subtle,a lot not! ) and a very witty biting narrative between characters

The Sisterhood Rules has all this and more as we meet twins Isabel and Verity,sworn enemies who are forced to act when their Mum goes missing

What follows is a hilarious romp around various Cities,here and abroad, as their music conductor Mum throws her batons away and picks up a young lover instead

Its mayhem and madness tinged with emotion and feeling and all backed up by the ‘Rules’,kind of…..

Its perfect escapism reading,suited to read anywhere and everywhere be it in one sitting or 10 minute bites and you can’t not be swept up in the love,laughter and tongue in cheek of it all

A master of her genre this author never fails to write a fantastic read

The story follows estranged twin sisters, Isabel and Verity, who haven't spoken in five years since a deep betrayal: Verity had an affair with Isabel’s husband. However, life has a way of forcing a reckoning and the two are pulled back together by the antics of their 69-year-old mother, Nicole. As the family navigates a series of surprises and "unspoken rules," they must decide if sisterhood is stronger than the secrets that tore them apart.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it was funny, lighthearted and incredibly entertaining. Despite the humor, the story felt authentic and realistic, particularly in its portrayal of family dynamics. I loved seeing three different generations—from the grandmother to the daughters and granddaughter—coming together and the unique sisterhood that resulted from their shared experiences.

A major highlight for me was the portrayal of women in their 40s and 60s. Watching the sisters' mother, Nicole, embark on a "later-in-life" awakening with a much younger man was both hilarious and empowering. It added a wonderful layer of energy to the story. I also really liked the concept of the "unspoken rules" that governed their relationships, and their love for music.

This was my first time reading a book by Kathy Lette and I found her writing style to be full of surprises. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for her future releases.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Aria & Aries, for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this, it’s not something I would usually read but the cover really attracted me to it and honestly I was not disappointed, it was such a good read about not only sisters but sisterhood in general and sometimes us girls have to stick together no matter what! I love the relatable life lessons the book offered in such an entertaining way! I really enjoyed it and managed to read it all in one day!
🌟🌟🌟🌟
Publication date - 9th April 2026

The Sisterhood Rules by Kathy Lette is a witty, chaotic, and thoroughly entertaining story about family, betrayal, and second chances.

At its heart is the fractured relationship between twin sisters Izzy and Verity, and I really enjoyed how their dynamic unfolds. The history between them adds plenty of tension, but there is also humour and warmth woven throughout as they are forced back into each other’s lives.

The missing mother storyline brings everything together brilliantly, adding both urgency and plenty of comedic moments. Nicole is such a larger than life character, and her unexpected choices add another layer of fun and unpredictability.

What makes this stand out is the humour. It is sharp, playful, and full of memorable characters, from the quirky side cast to the wonderfully messy family dynamics.

A lively, funny read that balances drama with humour and heart.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

This was a fun read, as Kathy Lette's books tend to be. Focused on two sisters, twins, who fell out over a man several years ago, they start talking again when it seems that their mum is having a later-life crisis!

The family is creative, which adds a lot of fun and interest. There's a toyboy, a former / current husband and a musical student whose arcs support the overall story. The characters are fun and likeable, apart from the rogues that you aren't supposed to like!

It's a really good escapism - Kathy Lette at her best!

Thanks to Kathy Lette, Aria & Aries and NetGalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.