This story is quintessentially women’s fiction. The story revolves around the women of the Bloom family; sisters Harper and Stacey, Harper’s daughter Becca, Stacey’s soon-to-be-born daughter Joule, and their mother Bunny. Definitely their mother Bunny. OMG Bunny.

The men in this story revolve around the women. One of the men definitely believes that he’s a planetary body in his own right, and that some of the Bloom women are his satellites, but he is so, so wrong.

This one is all about the relationships between the women, especially the relationship between the sisters in the title, Harper and Stacey.

Harper and Stacey are in their late-30s, and they are certainly opposites. But then, they always have been. Harper became the perfect Ms. Susie Homemaker, just as their mother Bunny wanted. But Harper can’t please her hypercritical mother, no matter how much she overdoes.

And it’s overdoing that she no longer has time for. Harper’s marriage failed, leaving her to raise her daughter Becca mostly alone. With no training for any regular job, Harper has turned her super-organized, super-crafty, super-creative energies into her own Virtual Assistant company – but it isn’t quite working. She needs a not-so-virtual assistant of her own to manage her over-scheduled time and keep her from undercutting her own worth.

She already has her mother for that.

Stacey, on the other hand, is happily married, six months pregnant, and scared to death to tell her mother. If Bunny has been hypercritical of Harper’s perfect Ms. Susie Homemaker personality, she has been even more censorious of Stacey’s success as a molecular biologist. As far as Bunny is concerned, there is something wrong with Stacey and her laser-focus on her career. Actually, as far as Bunny is concerned, Stacey is just not normal and she’s not shy about letting Stacey know that at every opportunity.

But Stacey and Harper have always supported each other, possibly as a result of being united against the common enemy – their mother.

As this story unfolds, they both need all the help they can get. Stacey, faces her impending motherhood absolutely certain that she will be unable to bond with her child. Harper faces Becca’s junior year in high school feeling that she’s lost touch with her daughter, and feeling that she is a failure in her business, her life, and her relationship with her daughter.

Standing together, just like they always have, helps them both find a way forward. With just a little help from their friends.

Escape Rating B: I absolutely adored Stacey. I completely understood her focus on her career, her fascination with her work, and her extreme social awkwardness. She was a character I could really relate to.

At the same time, while Harper’s Ms. Susie Homemaker shtick would drive me crazy, her courage at starting her own business and the way that the desire to please that had been ingrained in her (by her mother) kept holding her back, also felt very familiar.

And I totally envied Stacey her close relationship with her grandfather the astronaut, and how that relationship didn’t just change but absolutely made her life. (I have a thing about the space program)

Even Becca’s trials and tribulations felt real and familiar, even though it has been a very long time since I was a teenager.

This is, of course, leading up to a great big BUT. I hated Bunny. She set up both of her daughters for failure, and continued to reinforce those feelings of failure at every turn. Whenever she appeared in the story I wanted to cringe. The terrible mother seems to be a stock character in women’s fiction, and it’s not a stock character I ever enjoy seeing.

(Yes, Bunny reminds me of my own mother, and right now I have enough unresolved feelings in that direction to fill my own book. Seeing those feelings reflected in fiction was a bit cathartic, but also quite annoying the longer it went on. Your reading mileage may vary.)

Harper and Stacey’s stories, while complicated by Bunny, also do a marvelous job of showing a range of women’s choices and how they can go both right and wrong. But mostly right. Stacey’s husband Kit in particular is a real gem of a husband and a great character. As is Harper’s business partner Dean.

Harper’s ex-husband is more than a bit of a tool, not surprising. But so is Lucas, the man she finally falls for. The difference is that Lucas gets better – even if he doesn’t grovel nearly enough. Still I liked the way that their romance does not become the focus of the story, and that Lucas forges a friendship with Becca separate from whatever relationship he does or does not have with Harper.

In the end, a good time was had by all, and I liked both Harper and Stacey and really enjoyed seeing them both figure out their lives.

If you like contemporary romance that has a good dose of real life, this book is for you. Sisters Harper and Stacey are quite different, but both their storylines ring pretty true. Their mother Bunny is a handful. Being in her late 50; she almost seems to young to subscribe to the man is always right adage, but that is how she raised her girls. Harper took that Susie Homemaker lifestyle to heart, and now divorced, is trying to make ends meets as a Virtual Assistant for people and businesses. It seems to be a jack of all trades/work from home job, but she still has time to spend with her teenage daughter Becca. (Not that Becca wants to spend time with her). I truly enjoyed the return of Lucas, a cop from an earlier Mischief Bay story. Stacey took after their grandfather and is a scientist worthy of a role on Big Bang. Her pregnancy seems to be upending her life, even if she doesn't know it. Her husband Kit is a perfect complement to their family, as is his nephew Ashton. Mallery lets us share these lives and the result is a well written, strong story. These Mischief Bay books keep getting better and better.

An engaging, enjoyable novel from an author who always delivers with books that are equal parts humorous and heartfelt. Relationships are complex, messy, and yet bring such joy and meaning to our lives. The fictional folks in this novel were well-designed and fun to read about. Each had a particular characteristic that brought them to life for me, but if I had to choose one, I think Stacey was my favorite. Her raw honesty and misgivings about motherhood, as well as her growth as a character throughout the story really impacted me as a reader. 
Initially I wasn't sure how I felt about a teenage character with a significant POV. Ultimately, she added a well-rounded perspective to the story line and her struggles and fears tugged at my heartstrings, too. 
All in all, another delightful and well-written book from the talented Susan Mallery.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I have really enjoyed Susan Mallery’s Mischief Bay series since the beginning (check out my reviews of The Girls of Mischief Bay, The Friends We Keep and A Million Little Things).

However, I think that Sisters Like Us may be my fave of the series- because I love those sisters- Harper and Stacey.

Harper is a great character- and a reminder to girls everywhere that just because you marry the guy who is a doctor that it does not mean you need to slack on your education/skills…. because the fairy tale may turn terrible.

However, I really dug how Harper took her crappy situation (getting divorced and being concerned about making a living for her and her daughter) to a chance to pull herself up by her bootstraps and make a go at a career- Harper Helps- where all the things she was good at naturally thrived (well mostly!)

Stacey was something else. At times, I wondered if Susan Mallery was going to reveal to her to be “on the spectrum”-but I think, basically, that Susan has written a female Sheldon from Big Bang Theory ( although Stacey did not have roommate agreements and other such things.) I admired Stacey for being true to herself- she didn’t try to hide her smarts- she was proud of them.

I really wanted to choke Bunny, their mother, for most of the book. And tell her for the last time: NORMAL IS JUST A SETTING ON A WASHING MACHINE. The damage (while not intentional) she did to Stacey during her earlier years was a shame.

And if you were a fan of Lucas’s in A Million Little Things– he’s prominently featured here and we hear about some other characters from the previous book!

 

What I liked:

The cover!

The 2 sisters. They each had the other’s back and taught each other a bit about the other!

The romance. I won’t say anymore because I don’t want to spoil it- but the romance had me grinning.

 

Bottom line: Pick this book up to read now to escape the January blues or save it for the beach. But just get it!

 

*This book was sent to Traveling With T by Harlequin Books. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

**Sisters Like Us is a January #FuturisticFriday pick of Traveling With T’s!**

’s nephew, eighteen-year-old Ashton, into their family while he completes the requirements for high school graduation before entering MIT in the fall. It is easier for her to imagine being a nurturing aunt to Ashton than to see herself as a successful mother to an infant.

Technically women’s fiction, Sisters Like Us is actually a hybrid of women’s fiction and romance. Harper and Stacey’s relationship with one another and with their mother is central to the novel, but their relationships with the men in their lives gets equal attention. Mallery fans know that this author has created some heroes with a high jerk quotient, but she outdoes herself with the males in this one, creating three men of different ages, all guaranteed to win hearts. Fans of the Mischief Bay books will recognize Lucas Wheeler, the fiftyish bachelor cop, from A Million Little Things. Carrying some heavy baggage from his youth, Lucas is terrified of the kind of commitment a relationship with Harper will require, but he is so worth waiting for. He sees Harper for who she is, the good and the bad, and falls for the woman he sees. And he is great with Becca, taking on much of the dad stuff that her own father seems incapable of providing. Kit, Stacey’s high-school-science-teacher husband is a dream of a beta--fathoms deep in love with his wife, totally supportive of her, and eager to be a stay-at-home dad. I adored him. Ashton, mature beyond his years, is exactly what young Becca needs, and their relationship is a sweet bonus to the two main romantic relationships.

Harper and Stacey are flawed but likable, and I was happy to see that they liked and supported one another despite their differences. I’m guessing that readers’ patience with Harper’s difficulty in standing up for herself will vary depending upon how much of the people pleaser they are willing to recognize in themselves. I found it harder to understand Stacey’s continued delay in telling her mother about the pregnancy, but Bunny is a daughter’s nightmare. She will make any reader with an iota of feminism cringe. I think she is the weakness in an otherwise excellent novel. Until near the end, she seemed more caricature than character to me.

Overall, this is another of Mallery’s addictive Mischief Bay books rich in emotional context with nice touches of humor and characters readers should find interesting and engaging. If you like novels that balance family dynamics with romance and do a stellar job with both, I recommend you include Sisters Like Us on your January TBR list. I’m adding it to my huge collection of Susan Mallery keepers.

4.5 Stars at The Romance Dish

If I was having a contest for characters I hated the most Bunny would definitely be in the lead at the moment.  I get that the ridiculous standards she expects her daughters to meet are based on her own issues but that didn't mean I could like her.  What I did love was how all of this affected Harper and Stacey.  I loved that they were friends and hadn't let their difficult mother drive them apart and I loved how they started to resist.   It was interesting to see how different the two sisters were and how they responded to their incredibly overbearing mother.  Harper desperately wanted to live up to her mother's standards whereas Stacey just tended to avoid them.  And in the middle of this is 16 year Becca, desperate to fit in, desperate to be noticed, and desperate to have someone think she's special.  My heart broke for her even when she was at her most self-involved 16 year old self.  

I really enjoyed this book. There is some romance but what really stands out is the women themselves.  All 3 are so different and in such different phases of life and I think I connected to each of them in a different way.  This is a light read but not a fluffy one.  There is heart and emotion and the characters came alive as I read.  This was the first book in the Mischief Bay series but it won't be last.  I'm looking forward to reading lots more from Mallery!

Sisters Like Us is #4 in the Mischief Bay series, while part of a series it is very much a stand alone as well. I had been anticipating it with reading relish because so far I have really liked this series.

There are two sisters - Stacey who is about to become a Mom, she is about 6 months pregnant and as sure as can be that she will not make a good mother. Her mother - Bunny sent her the message in childhood that there was something wrong with her, and every since she has believed it.  She has a wonderful husband Kit and his insightful nephew Ashton who would most likely hold a different opinion entirely about Stacey.

Harper runs her own business and seems often to be overwhelmed by it, taking on too much and not standing up to one demanding client. Her mother - Bunny is always harping on to her about getting all the home things right. As the book opens she isn't getting things quite right with her daughter Becca, who is struggling with some pertinent issues.  

We also meet the police cop from the book A Million Little Things.  He uses Harper's business to deal with some of the details of his life like paying his bills. I really liked him and his approach especially to Becca, although I felt one thing he did was really not quite in character, but everyone seemed to understand!

So this story deals with mothers and daughters - what makes a good mother? How can you juggle an important job and be a mother too? And the messages we receive as children from our parents can have a huge impact.  As well we see two sisters who do really support each other, teenage friendships explored, the need for a strong father in one's life and what makes a great teenage romantic relationship.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book - just as I expected.    4.5 stars

Mallery brings her characters to life in the most remarkable way

Favorite Quotes:

It’s like Beetlejuice. If you say her name too many times, she’ll rise up with horrific powers and do unspeakable things. I’m being cautious.

Stacey met the gaze of the pregnant dog. The animal looked calm and kind of sweet, in a very large, I could eat you in a hot minute kind of way.

His shirt was barely wrinkled, he was rested and tanned, while she was a hot mess. No, she thought, thinking of her mom jeans and stained T-shirt. Even her messiness wasn’t the least bit hot. She was a cold mess.

You need a date for your ex’s wedding. Showing up by yourself will make you feel awful… What about Lucas? He’s very handsome and I’m sure he knows how to behave. You could ask him to bring his gun and shoot the groom… Or the bride. Your choice.

My Review:

I adored this book start to finish, I’ve read a handful of Susan Mallery books and after each one, I declare it to be my favorite.  Deftly written with bold strokes of levity, thoughtful and insightful observations, witty banter, endearing characters, and clever use of animals for the uptight characters to bare their private fears with, this was an easy read that squeezed my heart while it also made me smile. The plot was relevant and realistic, the storyline was well-crafted and entertaining, and the writing was crisp, yet thoughtful and sensitive.  The characters were wildly flawed, singularly quirky, and fascinating. I favored Lucas most of all and had a mad crush on him until he pulled a dick move and broke my heart.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com
4.25 Hearts To me Susan Mallery is contemporary romance’s Mary Poppins. She is practically perfect in every way. What is not to love about her stories? Nothing!
This is a book about family and the dynamics that we all face when family is involved.  I also thought that it helped me to remember everyone is going through something even if others do not know it, 
The characters are funny, light hearted and complex. They deal with every emotion possible and still manage to stay together as a family in the end.
Mallery is one of the best but I would suggest reading the full series before this book. She has moved beyond just the 3 she planned on but it is helpful to have the back story. 
Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Another bestseller for Susan Mallery.  This book offers so many different emotions with the two
sisters.  Life happens and this story could be you or me.

Sisters Like Us tells the story of three women who are bound together as family but struggle to live up to their ideals of the perfect mom, woman and head of the household. I enjoyed this books because there are times in my life I am striving to be that perfect someone and find myself failing. It is always a good reminder to take a look at your situation from another perspective. What may look like failure to you may be successful to someone else. The three women, Harper, Stacey and Becca needed help to see their situations differently. The person who helps them were either those involved in the situation or an outsider. Susan Mallery balanced how the help from an outsider and the help from those involved can be beneficial. We are not alone even though there are times we might be. Sisters Like Us do a good job of reminding us that while things might look good from one view another person might feel others wise. This book had several interesting life lessons and proved to be a good read. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to try something new and those who are fans of Nora Roberts.

I enjoyed reading this. It was funny how the perfectionism of the sisters that created some problems for them was actually motivating for me :) . There were some times in the story when I observed their actions (or non-actions as the case may be) and thought "Seriously?" but that's easy for an outsider to think - I still could see it happening in life. I didn't like the way that a couple of the storylines were resolved, but overall I was entertained by the story.

Another great addition to the Mischief Bay series. I liked this book. It addressed real problems between a parent and a teenager. It was a good read.

I always look forward to this authors books because I know that she will take me on an emotional journey.  In this new book she delves into the complexities of family relationships; mothers and daughters, daughters and fathers, sisters, and those who may come with them.  I loved the relationships between all the different characters and how each problem that popped up could be looked at in many ways.  As I read the tears flowed, the laughter echoed, and in the end the smiles came.  It showed me that no matter how hard life can be you just need to stop, look at the situation, and take a chance.  I can't wait for the authors next words so that I can take another emotional ride and come out the end with things a little bit clearer.

Sisters Like Us was a totally enjoyable way for me to finish up my reading for 2017. Susan Mallery’s books never fail to deliver a good reading experience. In this installment of the Mischief Bay series, which can be read as a stand-alone, we are introduced to sisters Harper and Stacey, who are total opposites.
Harper has always put everyone else’s needs ahead of her own, and continues to do so now that she is divorced with a semi-rebellious teenaged daughter. She works as a virtual assistant to others by planning parties, shopping, etc., at the expense of spending quality time with her daughter. Of course she doesn’t realize this. Stacey is a super intelligent scientist who happens to be pregnant. Her husband will be a stay at home Dad, not only because of Stacey’s career, but also because she is petrified of becoming a mother. She in no way feels like she can be like her Mom, who was from a different generation where women stayed home and took care of the family. 
I loved how this family, with all of their personal problems, still leaned on each other to make it through. This was a definite feel good story, not too fluffy, not too deep, just right! 
Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

interesting and thought provoking story which is told from the perspective of the 2 sisters and 1 daughter. Secrets, worries, and eventually joys.

I wanted to love this story, and it was a light read. But I didn't really connect with the characters. Also I hated Bunny, she had these expectations for her daughters that were just pushing them to hard and making their lives harder. I liked Stacey for her ability to still want to have her career and be a mother. Harper I felt was trying to hard and really needed to do things for herself not for what all the expectations were for.

3.5, maybe 4 stars.

So, I've had the first book in this series, "The Girls of Mischief Bay" sitting on my Kindle for several years. I forgot about it until I downloaded this one. I was partway through it before realizing I had the first book, lol. So when as I finished "Sisters Like Us" I picked up "The Girls of Mischief Bay".

"Sisters Like Us" and "The Girls of Mischief Bay" both dealt with change. "Sisters" was less gut-wrenching, and had many laugh out-loud moments. As the title says, the focus is on two sisters, Stacey and Harper, and their families. And while both sisters and their families are undergoing major changes, they are good changes, mostly happy changes. The two sisters are very different. Harper is in some traditional - she tries so hard to be the perfect housewife and mother despite her divorce. She's creative and organized and a caretaker, But she's been so caught trying to get her business off the ground and make a living that she hasn't been paying attention to her teenage daughter. Harper's daughter Becca was both sympathetic and annoying. She was self-absorbed and egotistical but slowly started to look outside herself and see the world through other people's perspectives.

Stacey, though married, is not a traditional wife. She is a research scientist, committed to her work. Although it's never said, or really even hinted at, Stacey shows characteristics of autism. Her husband, who is laid back, understands his wife, accept her for who she is, and is devoted to her. She worries, especially now that she's pregnant, that she won't be enough - won't be a good enough mother, won't be a good enough wife. Now, she has good reason to think that - her mother Bunny has told her all life and continues to tell her, that she's not good enough, she's a failure, and a disappointment. Bunny also wastes no opportunity to tell Harper that her marriage failed because she wasn't a good enough wife and failed to please her husband.

I passionately hated Bunny. She was verbally and emotionally cruel to her daughters and an expert at making herself into the victim. I so very much wanted her to get hit by a car. Sadly, no such luck. But, Mallery did partially redeem Bunny near the end. At first, Bunny was over the top and unbelievable. Gradually, Mallery added some depth to her. I never grew to like her but I did understand her a bit better. Still, she could have a heart attack and die in her sleep and I wouldn't be sad.

While I've enjoyed the romances of Mallery's that I've read, I think these books, this series, may be my favorite. They're about 70% women's fiction and 30% romance. The stories are real, the characters, most of them, delightful, and I love Mallery's humor. Her storytelling draws me in and makes me care. I'm caught up in what's happening. She has a knack for writing family dynamics and for interpersonal relationships. Now, I need to get my hands on books two and three and catch up.

Some favorite quotes:

She hadn't had sex in so long, she was pretty sure she was practically a virgin-wouldn't it be nice to have a penis again? Even if it was just for the night? "I really have to start dating," she muttered.

She jumped back and dropped her gaze.
"Holy crap, you have an erection."
His expression was pained. "You really haven't been dating since the divorce, have you?"
"OMG, you want to have sex with me."
Yes, there were complications, yes, this could be a huge mistake, but honestly, who cared? She grabbed his hand and started for her bedroom, only to come to a stop and spin toward him.
"I don't have condoms."
"I do."
"I haven't washed the sheets in three days."
"Shocking but I'll recover."
She bit her lower lip. "I'm not sure I remember how."
One corner of his mouth turned up. "I'm happy to reacquaint you with everything you need to know."


"You don't have to bring me anything."
"I do if you feed me."
"You already got me a guy who will scoop dog poop. That's about the best gift there is."
"You're welcome."

This one got off to a slow start for me. The transition between the two sisters took some getting used to. No chapter breaks between the two, just an abrupt switch. I eventually came to enjoy that. Loved the ending(s) for all concerned. Lots of nice parental advice and realities.