Three sisters, subject of a book pushing genius children in the arts are now adults with lots of problems. This is a wonderful story of family. The ladies live in the Pacific Northwest and are close friends, all estranged from their mother. When a film maker wants to do a documentary on where are they now they reluctantly agree because of high medical bills. This is a beautiful story with several twist and turns that will surprise you. Not your typical family saga, it's better.

Not all books are suited to all readers, and unfortunately that was the case with this story. Bostwick's writing is very good, but I couldn't really immerse myself in the story. Why wouldn't insurance pay for Meg's hospital bills? Where has Hal been all my life? These are questions that were driving me crazy.

I do thank the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this novel. I will refrain from posting a negative review on my blog, in Goodreads, or any form of social media.

Absolutely loved this book. Marie just has a way of telling a story that you can fall into. The story is about 3 sisters, they are born to a mother who is controlling their future lives before they were born. A pianist, and artist and a writer, that is what she has tried to create from her IVF babies.
But it all crashes down when the oldest Joanie, strikes out in defiance whilst performing on a live talk show.
Move from their childhood to their adulthood and they are finding their way, without their mother's influence, creating their families and futures. Until an accident put one in danger, and the whole family is turned upside down.
Really a terrific storyline. Wish it could have continued, but maybe Marie has another Promise story to to come. Definitely worth five stars..

Joanie, Meg and Avery were genetically engineered to be prodigies, each in a different area -- music, art and writing -- while their mother thrived on the attention paid to her because of a book about the girls. Joanie, the oldest, defies Minerva during a nationally broadcast talk show, and their lives change forever. Fast foward twenty years, where the girls have no contact with their mother, little contact with each other, and are being hounded by a producer who wants to make a documentary about where they are now and what they're doing at this point in their lives. They all adamantly refuse -- until a car accident results in medical bills that make them reconsider. As they all come together, stories are told and secrets revealed.

While I usually love books by this author, this one didn't quite live up to my expectations. Maybe it was the wrong book for me at this point in time, but I had a really hard time getting into the story. The writing, as always, was excellent, but the characters seemed almost flat to me. Maybe knowing more about the girls individually, rather than as a group, would have helped? That said, I won't let this keep me from looking for future books by Ms. Bostwick.

This was an interesting subject and story. It was a little unrealistic at times but a nice story. Mother daughter conflict is something that many can relate with. I like the way the author wrapped everything up at the end of the book.

So coming off The Roanoke Girls, I was ready for a lighter sister read. The Promise Sisters wasn't an easy, breezy read, but it wasn't completely dark.

Minerva Promise was raising three test tube babies into being prodigies of the arts, and making her living writing a book about it. On the day that they have their debut on a major talk show, Joanie decides to make a break for freedom and flub her music performance, earning her a face slap on national TV.

Chaos ensued and the girls are split up and put into foster care. As they age out of the foster system, they find their way back together, with Minerva a bad memory for the older girls.

The youngest Promise girl, Avery is the one with the most contact with Minerva, via infrequent phone calls. But Avery is also the most mixed up. She lives in a tiny house in her sister's backyard, she is half unemployed, but lives in a separate persona as a mermaid, and chooses a series of wrong men.

After Meg loses her memory in a car accident, the girls rally around to help her recover. But with her hospital bills comes a deal with the devil (I'm still wondering why her car insurance didn't cover her bills), Joanie has to agree to have a documentary made about them and the fateful talk show appearance, something she has been flatly refusing for a long time.

Hal comes to town to film the documentary, has been half in love with Joanie since he met her on the set of the talk show. As they work through their individual parts of the documentary, they work through some difficult parts of their lives, and find new paths for themselves.

Minerva reappears to film a scene for the documentary and meet her grandchildren for the first time. This is quite an eventful dinner as paternity is revealed multiple times - yep, you read that right. One revelation usually makes a dinner party, two puts it on the map forever.

I enjoyed the book but I felt that the ending wrapped up a little too tidily. I'm not sure that the feelings these girls had for their mother could be resolved so quickly, and even with her explanation, she still didn't do the right thing EVER by her kids.

Don't you hate when you request a book by an author you never read because you loved the cover and then the book doesn't match the cover?!?? Well that isn't the case with this beautiful book by Marie Bostwick! I love love love this book!

The Promise Girls is about four "girls".... first there is Joanie, she is the single mom to 17 year old Walt. She has been trying to keep a secret forever when she became pregnant with Walt. Then there is Meg, her and her husband Asher have a teenage daughter Trina. Now here's how it gets tricky, Meg has always noticed something familiar about Walt. She finally finds out the truth but then gets in an accident and gets memory loss.....Next up is Avery; she works at a bookstore which is her love! She had two relationships. One with Owen and the other with Adam. Avery is the storyteller and I think my favorite! Lastly there is Minerva, or really Melanie. She is the lair. She is a widow with three daughters.... Joanie, Meg and Avery. She pushes her daughters.... kind of the I wish I would of done so I'm going to push you to do.

The way Marie wrote these beautiful stories was amazing. As I was reading this story I felt a connection to each sister. They each had their own passion that they pushed to the side. This book was truly a 2017 favorite for me and I look forward to reading more from her!!




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What a truly unique and wonderful read.

With THE PROMISE GIRLS, author Marie Bostwick has a hit on her hands. If this book does not end up on multiple Bestseller lists, I will be completely shocked.
This is NOT a cheesy drama or a typical predictable romance. This book follows the three girls with the last name promise.

I rate this book as 5 out of 5 stars and I will be recommending this book to everyone I know

This is a HOME RUN.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Promise Girls by Marie Bostwick that I read and reviewed.
This book was just okay for me. I really could not get into the way the story was being told or connect that well with the three Promise sisters. For me things just seemed to drag on a bit too long and I never felt like I was part of the book.
I am giving The Promise Girls three out of five stars.

Great book about growing up, having expectations and living under pressure. It's a nice read.

I enjoyed reading this story of three sisters, Joanie, Meg and Avery, and promoted as prodigies by their mother. Twenty years later, we follow the sisters as their secrets, hopes and artistic tendencies are reawakened. A bit unrealistic at times, but an optimistic read.

Book Review: The Promise Girls.

I let the sink overflow, I burnt dinner and I stayed up way too late several nights in a row while reading The Promise Girls by Marie Bostwick – and it was all worth it.
This rich tale by the New York Times bestselling author has many twists and turns – most of them unexpected – to keep the reader captivated.
It is also written with such warmth and colour that it almost feels like you’re part of it.
Have a read of the blurb before I say more:
Every child prodigy grows up eventually. For the Promise sisters, escaping their mother’s narcissism and the notoriety that came with her bestselling book hasn’t been easy.
Minerva Promise claimed that her three “test tube” daughters—gifted pianist Joanie, artistic Meg, and storyteller Avery—were engineered and molded to be geniuses.
In adulthood, their modest lives fall far short of her grand ambitions. But now, twenty years after the book’s release, she hopes to redeem herself by taking part in a new documentary.
Meg, who hasn’t picked up a paintbrush in years, adamantly refuses to participate, until a car accident leaves her with crushing medical bills.
While she recuperates in Seattle, the three sisters reluctantly meet with filmmaker Hal Seeger, another former prodigy. Like them, he’s familiar with the weight of failed potential.
But as he digs deeper, he uncovers secrets they’ve hidden from each other—and a revelation that will challenge their beliefs, even as it spurs them to forge their own extraordinary lives at last.

I’ve always been fascinated by the question of ‘what next?’ for child prodigies.
It certainly can’t be an easy road, especially if your mother is anything like Minerva Promise.
What we learn as the book goes on is that she is perhaps not quite the villain we think she is and I really enjoyed unpicking her past.
In fact, I really liked all of the characters, especially the sisters who are all strong-willed, creative and funny and have a lovely bond, despite of – or maybe because of – their dysfunctional childhood.
When it comes to their individual talents, I especially enjoyed seeing all of them find their joy - if not for the first time then for the first time in a long while.
There are some truly shocking revelations and near the end of the book it almost seems like a competition – I think Minerva wins, just.
It certainly makes for a book very hard to put down (maybe set an alarm if you’re cooking dinner at the same time).

Format: Kindle.
Price: £5.74.
My rating: Five stars.

The Promise Girls is quite an emotional read. I enjoyed the three sisters' stories. The turmoil their mother put them through can be relatable for many. The only complaint I have is I would've like to see more about the sisters individually. Overall, a pretty good read.
4 stars

This was a delightful read. So many surprises and twists and I enjoyed every one. I was certainly not expecting the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an e-ARC of this title, in advance for an honest review. This was a wonderful book, and timely for today, with reality parents thinking they can make a buck off their children. The Promise Girls were born to be geniuses, with their mom telling the world she used in vitro to craft their talents. The girls all have different feelings about this, and now adults, they have their own struggles. The characters were well developed, and likeable, but with flaws...I loved this book. It's more than I thought it would be, which was a fun read. It turned out to be emotional and rang true.

The Promise Girls
Marie Bostwick
Available: March 28, 2017
Thank you to NetGallery.com and the publisher for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

As a stand alone book, The Promise Girls is just okay. If it will develop into a series where we have the opportunity to get to know these ladies on a deeper level – there is a strong potential for it to develop over time and become a heart warming series, but I don’t think that is going to happen. The story is too neatly wrapped up in the climax which is a disappointment as I think these ladies have potential to be as wonderful as Ms. Bostwick’s other characters.

What I loved: Hal is a great character. Usually the men aren’t supposed to be the endearing characters in the women’s fiction but his passion and drive were infectious. He’s almost too good to be true.

What I didn’t love: Of course, Minvera is set to be the main villainess from the premise, but each sister has so much buried hurt, pain and trauma from their life that affects all of their relationships in life that it almost painful to read. They all think they’ve dealt with the past but outside of Meg, they really haven’t.

What I learned: More about geometrical math functions that I ever needed to.
Overall Grade: B-

An interesting tale of three sisters: Joanie, Meg and Avery, who were "programed" and designed by their mother to be geniuses. One played the piano, one was an artist, and the other was a writer. The story takes place about 20 years later, when Hal tries to film a documentary about them now. I liked the story and the characters, and liked how not everything has such a clean ending. On the other hand, the mother being accepted, and the "scandal" that was and wasn't such a big deal with the kids, seemed a little flat. Other than that though, I enjoyed the story and highly recommend this book and I always recommend this author, as I love her work.

Marie Bostwick is one of my top authors. I even have my mother reading her and she is not a reader! I was thrilled to read this ARC.

Three sisters/three experiments/three manufactured children put on display at a TV show focusing on nature v. nurture brings a drastic change. Fast forward 21 years- new lives until 1 has an accident and experiences a lightness of mind and spirit for first time.

I immediately became involved with this family. I carried the book around with me because I couldn't stop reading even while brushing my teeth and going out to eat (I was not behind wheel)!

From the time I ready my very first book by Marie Bostwick I have been a big fan of her writing. Her books can be both joyous and heartbreaking and her characters will leap off the page and into your heart. That is certainly true of the three Promise girls - Joanie, Meg and Avery who you will remember long after you have read the final page in this book. The story has a believable, interconnected plot that is satisfying, writing that is smooth and professional and a charming cast of characters that engenders sympathy. I loved this book and highly recommend it.