August 2025 — She's My Sister

They know us best. They have seen us at our worst. Those who survived childhood together know that the relationship between siblings can provide both comfort and consternation. Rivalry and familial dysfunction can topple even the most harmonious relationships. Common spats and grievances can fester for years, even if the underlying, loving bond remains. Reconciliation, then, especially if hard-won, can be deeply satisfying and cathartic.

For this sticky month, I am suggesting some novels that explore the complicated relationships between adult sisters. As always, what makes for an enduring struggle makes for some good, relatable fiction.

	The Turnout - Megan Abbott "A sharp and strange dissection of family ties and sexuality, femininity and power, and a tale that is both alarming and irresistible."
	The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett "Explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins."
	*My Sister, the Serial Killer* - Oyinkan Braithwaite "A blackly comic novel about how blood is thicker - and more difficult to get out of the carpet - than water..."
	*The Better Sister* - Alafair Burke "Two estranged sisters—one the dead man’s widow, the other his ex—must set aside mistrust and old resentments . . . but can they escape their past?"
	*Favorite Daughter* - Morgan Dick "A darkly funny debut novel about two estranged sisters who are unknowingly thrown together by their problematic father’s dying wish."
	*The Wrong Sister* - Claire Douglas "Two sisters discover that the secrets they keep from each other prove to be deadly."
	*Like a Sister*- Kellye Garrett "When a Black reality TV star is found dead in the Bronx—except her estranged half-sister, whose refusal to believe the official story leads her on a dangerous search for the truth.
	*Everything Here is Beautiful* - Mira T. Lee "An unforgettable, gut-wrenching story of the sacrifices we make to truly love someone—and when loyalty to one’s self must prevail over all."
	*She Taught Me Everything* - Amy Smith Linton "A story about sisters and secrets, and about the choices that can redefine the entire shape of a family."
	The Good Sister - Sally Hepworth "About the ties that bind sisters together...and about the madness that lurks where you least expect it."
	*Blue Sisters* - Coco Mellors "Three estranged siblings return to their family home in New York after their beloved sister's death in this unforgettable story of grief, identity, and the complexities of family."
	*Hello Beautiful* - Ann Napolitano "Julia and her three sisters are inseparable, but then darkness from the past surfaces, jeopardizing their unshakeable devotion to one another."
	*Her Fearful Symmetry* - Audrey Niffenegger "A captivating story about love and identity, about secrets and sisterhood, and about the tenacity of life--even after death."
	*My Sister's Keeper* - Jodi Picoult "Tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness."
	*All My Puny Sorrows* - Miriam Toews "A profound reflection on the limits of love, and the sometimes unimaginable challenges we experience when childhood becomes a new country of adult commitments and responsibilities."

Summaries sourced from publisher materials.

August's Featured Review

The Lost Man - Jane Harper

Hop on the Holds List

The Impossible Fortune – Richard Osman

Framed in Death – J.D. Robb

To Clutch a Razor – Veronica Roth

Twice – Mitch Albom

The Widow – John Grisham

Quote of the Month:

"Comparison is a death knell to sibling harmony." - Elizabeth Fishel

Bookish News and Links:

Want personalized recommendations? Fill out a questionnaire to get a customized list sent directly to your email

Love Lists? Try these:

Electric Lit has a list of 9 novels that they think best capture the complexity of sister relationships in adulthood.

You can look at a list on Goodreads of over 100 books dealing with Sibling Rivalry, although some inclusions could be up for debate.

LitHub has an article postulating why there is a dearth of adult sibling relationship books compared to YA titles.

Adaptation News: Upcoming movies and shows based on books:

My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan, Netflix 8/1

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman Netflix 8/28

Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston, theaters, 8/29

Recent Reads

I have recently finished reading Never Flinch by Stephen King and The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I also just finished listening to Orange World and Other Stories by Karen Russell on Libby.

I am currently reading How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold and Make Me Famous by Maud Ventura. I am also listening to the audiobook of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Baker Lee.

Have any future blog topics you would like to see? Send them my way! jnmegan@gpl.

Until next time: Be safe, be well, and be well-read!

Joelle

So, who am I, anyway? I am a resident of West Groton, with a husband, 3 children in college (and one who just graduated from GDRHS) and a Samoyed that keeps my vacuum well-employed. I am currently working part time at the Groton Public Library and writing monthly reviews for Bookllist Magazine. In a former life, I was a Director of PR/Marketing at a high-tech consulting firm. My BA is in Psychology, but most of my time was spent in college earning a Concentration on the Novel. That is all to say that I make no claims at being an expert of any kind and my thoughts, opinions and mistakes are solely my own. I am just a person whose passion for books has continued to grow from the moment I was first able to grip and gnaw on them. I have been devouring them ever since.

Aug 01, 2025 / Joelle M Egan