A sister striving for perfection who feels lost and alone.  Another sister highly educated and naive about human interactions, a overbearing critical mother and a teenager!  If that's not enough throw in a sexy cop, an ex-husband, a dotting husband and 3 dogs.  Life is not boring in Mischief Bay!  I could not put this book down!

Sisters Like Us by Susan Mallery
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is trademark Susan Mallery. The likable female characters span the age from teenage to very mature adults. The males come in several varieties. Some are just plain horrible, some are almost too good to be true, and some are in-between. The plot runs from teenage betrayals to reformed playboys with the life and relationship between the two sisters always at the heart of the story. One of the sisters seemed very familiar and I finally realized she was very like another very smart but socially clue less character from one of the Fool's Gold stories. She made for a lot of fun in many of the scenes as she did not realize the impact she was having on others. Like all of Mallory's stories this was a fun book to read.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Sisters Like Us by Susan Mallery is funny, realistic, and the most engaging women's fiction novel, that I've ever read. This, is a story about the relationships between mothers and daughters. Quirky, sweet, and heartfelt were these pages. It felt like it was nonfiction but entertaining like fiction. Yet, it really is fiction...which made me like it even more. Susan Mallery captured life between these women perfectly. They fought, cried, and laughed. But in the end, they love and respect each other. No matter what, the were there for each other. 

First, there is Harper. A forty-two-year-old divorced woman. Harper is raising her daughter on what little her ex gives and what she can make as a single mother. Life isn't easy to balance. Harper works so much she forgets to listen and spend more time with her daughter. Her daughter feels like Harper doesn't love her anymore. She never listens. Just works all the time. 

Second, there's Harper's mom, who forced Harper to give up her dreams and live the life she lived. Harper's mother is always telling Harper how to raise her own daughter and how she's lacking as a mother figure. Harper and her sister always have to tiptoe around their mother. Fear of not having their mom happy or proud of them keeps them having secrets. 

Third, is Harper's sister, Stacey. Stacey is a lab researcher. Super smart and gorgeous, Stacey is  happily married and expecting. Only her mother doesn't know...then, there's the fear of her not loving her own child and not being a good mother. Stacey's husband defends her and is willing to stay as a stay-at-home dad. He loves Stacey. Yet she fears she lose both him and their child. 

Fourth, is Harper's daughter. This girl has had it rough as a teen. Her parents divorce, her friends move, and another friend accuses her of being boring. She feels like her mother doesn't listen to her at all. Her grades are slipping in some classes and she's not sure what she wants to study for college. Then, there's her father who breaks his promises and doesn't do anything with her. To make things even more complicated, there's Lucas. He's the next door guy. Always paying her mom for doing his stuff. He respects Harper and her daughter. In fact Harper's daughter feels like a daughter he never had. I love the sweet moments when the girl tells him stuff that makes him uncomfortable and she needs advice....it was both funny and heartfelt. Also, a new guy her age moves in with her aunt. Ashton is super hot...and it's not long before she crushes on him...

Overall, Sisters Like Us is amazing. It's so easy to love and understand. The characters were believable. The scenes were interesting. There was a rollercoaster of emotions as the plot unfolded. I enjoyed reading this novel. After reading this, I can't wait to see what Susan Mallery comes up with next. I highly recommend this to readers worldwide.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

My tradition continues with my first book of the year coming from the Mischief Bay series. This novel focuses on a family dynamic of a mom, Bunny, her divorced daughter Harper, and her happily married daughter Stacey. Harper has a teenage daughter who lives with her and a growing business she started herself. Stacey is a very intelligent scientist who is pregnant with her first child at 40, and does not have a mothering bone in her. Bunny is an over bearing mother who believes every holiday should be celebrated, and every food should be made from scratch. Then we have Lucas from the last book in the series, the cop who was shot, become a main character in this book. We briefly see some other characters from Mischief Bay, but very, and I mean very, briefly.

One does not have to read the other books in the series to read this one. Lucas is the only character that is from the past, and one really gets to know him in this novel, so much so, that he almost seems like a different person at times. This is a good thing though. The reader actually gets to know Lucas. I loved how the relationships were written in this book. Harper`s daughter Becca had many tough ones between her dad, her best friend, Lucas, and a new boyfriend. The relationships felt realistic, and many of them weren't sugar coated. Each of the main characters have their own growth throughout the novel. I look back on how much each one changed from the beginning and realize how good of a book it was! I look forward to the books in this series each year, and I am already looking forward to next year's.

Respect and love – two most important components in any relationship. Parts of SISTERS LIKE US are equally funny and yet poignantly sad. The Bloom sisters and their mother along with several other relatives and friends set a new standard for dysfunction. There is no physical abuse – no the Bloom women are into emotional punishment – much of it self-induced. The voices in their heads are so loud that they override any common sense and intelligence. And the Bloom women are smart but have deep seated issues with self worth. 
It’s as if they can’t come to terms with how really wonderful they are. Stacey and Harper Bloom live their lives by judging themselves by their mother Bunny’s standards and comments and Bunny is not one to hold her tongue. 
Best couple – non couple ever Harper and Lucas. Lucas dates women in their twenties, the why is complicated. Harper at forty two and Lucas at fifty are more contemporaries but he is one of her clients and he has become a family friend. Heavy on the friend part since his relationship includes Becca. In some ways you can almost see the three of them as a sort of family. But you have to read SISTERS LIKE US to understand and get it. 
SISTERS LIKE US is vintage Susan Mallery. Just when you think you have read her best she raises the bar. SISTERS LIKE US is simply great and once again has a cast that will astound you including three rescue Dobermans. All boxes are checked by Susan Mallery in SISTERS LIKE US. 
Stacey a brilliant scientist with two PHD’s gnawed at herself for not knowing how to sew or decorate the home for every holiday imaginable – no exaggerating here. Harper’s angst that all she was good for was her home, craft and kitchen skills.
Bunny was the uber stay at home mother who clicked her tongue at everything either of her daughters did that didn’t suit her very high and ridiculous demands. These three were a constant conflict just waiting to happen. 
In SISTERS LIKE US we learn so much about the three Bloom women and probably if being honest see some of their traits in ourselves which makes for many moments of mirth – at our own expense I must add.
Susan Mallery likes to make us sit and take notice of ourselves and probably identify with her characters – or at least acknowledge that they remind us of someone we know. There isn’t a character in SISTERS LIKE US that you won’t bond with on some level – true Susan Mallery. Her characters are real and awesome even on their worst day. I was so sorry when I came to the last page – it was like leaving good friends. This is a must read.

I loved this book. Susan Mallery really knows how to tell a story. This was a great second story to this series.

Hard to put down - a book about relationships - the highs and the lows, the frustrations and the closeness that makes them all worthwhile. Two sisters: Harper the perfect homemaker, trying to make ends meet with a virtual assistant business after her husband leaves her for a younger woman; and Stacey the scientist, far more comfortable in the Lab than in the home - pregnant for the first time at 40.  Into the mix throw Becca, Harper’s daughter who feels abandoned by just about everybody, and Harpers mother, Bunny, who seems disatisfied by them all.

A sudden inheritance of three exquisitely trained dobermans ties these stories together with charm and humor.  Full of wisdom, self understanding, and growth. Utterly uplifting.

I really, really like Ms. Mallery's (somewhat) standalone novels. She's able to inject more emotion and deeper characterization into these longer stories. We really get to know Harper Szymanski, an overworked divorcee, and her teenage daughter. Harper is just trying to keep herself together. After working for years to get her husband through podiatry school, he dumped her. Now she lives in the house with Becca. Harper's mother, Bunny, lives in a garage apartment and seems to just hang around shaming both Harper and her sister, Stacey, because neither are 1950s housewives.
Stacey is an amazing scientist working on helping people with MS. She's a fully-confident woman who just turned forty. And, oh yeah, she's sort of pregnang. And mostly in denial. See, she's got this perfect mother and this perfect sister who both know instintively how to mother the people around them. Stacey, just doesn't feel it.
Harper doesn't really feel perfect either. Her business isn't what she planned and she can't even pick out an assistant who can actually help her (cameos from the previous book!). Because she's spending so much time with trying to keep food in the house and a roof over her daughter's head, she's losing track of what her daughter's actually doing. And Becca has her own set of problems...
I really liked this book. I didn't completely buy that Becca turned around so fast and didn't really get her connection with Ashton but I mostly liked the Lucas/Harper story line (except for the Big Misunderstanding which seemed just sort of stuck in so it wouldn't be super-smooth.)

Four stars
This book comes out January 23
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book.  I am a huge Susan Mallery fan and this book did not disappoint.  My full review will be after January 23rd.

4.5 stars.

 Sisters Like Us by Susan Mallery is a winsome story about three generations of women and their sometimes complicated relationships. This  fourth installment in the Mischief Bay series easily stands on its own, but I highly recommend the previous books as well.

 Forty-two year old Harper Szymanski is a divorced mom who loves her sixteen year old daughter Becca but works long hours trying to keep her virtual assistant business going.  She is a people pleaser who lets people walk all over her since she has a difficult time standing up for herself.  Her relationship with her mother Bunny is a bit of a mess since Bunny is firmly stuck in the ’50s where a man is always right and a woman should always put her husband and family’s needs before her own.

 Harper’s younger sister, forty year old Stacey Bloom, is a super smart and socially awkward scientist who works on the cutting edge of MS research. She and her husband Kit are about to become first time parents and Stacey is greatly concerned over her lack of maternal instincts. She is also worried about Bunny’s reaction to their nontraditional plan for Kit to become a stay at home dad while she continues  working. But what troubles Stacey the most are her fears about what effect a baby will have on her and Kit’s relationship.

 Becca is a typical teen who is insecure, somewhat self-absorbed and struggling with the loss of one of her closest friend’s after she moves out of state. She is also quite unhappy with the situation with her father who makes promises to her that he never keeps. He has virtually disappeared from her life which leaves her feeling unloved. Just when Becca reaches her lowest point, she meets Kit’s nephew, Ashton, and their friendship becomes a highlight in her life.

 One of Harper’s favorite clients, Lucas Wheeler, is a fifty year old cop whose dating life is an endless array of short term relationships with vapid young women in their early twenties. He is a frequent visitor in their home whose friendship she greatly treasures. Lucas is surprisingly attentive to Becca and he becomes a father figure of sorts after he spend a lot of time with her helping her get her driver’s license.  Lucas and Harper unexpectedly fall into a relationship but since she is so different from the women he typically dates, will there be a shelf-life to their fling?

 Sisters Like Us is an emotionally compelling novel that is poignant yet humorous. The chapters alternate between Harper, Stacey and Becca’s points of view as each of them attempt to overcome their personal issues. Harper and Stacey are both struggling with Bunny’s negative influence in their lives as she continues to make them both feel inadequate. Becca matures with guidance and advice from Lucas and a surprise romance of her own. Lucas and Harper’s transition from friends to lovers is understated and their interactions are laugh out loud funny and quite moving. Old and new fans of  Susan Mallery are going to love this newest addition to the enchanting Mischief Bay series.

Another winner from Susan Mallery! Sisters, Harper and Stacey are very different but support each other. Their lives are complicated but they manage to make it through dealing with love, loss, and their mother, Bunny. I loved this well written book about relationships and sisters.

This series is a departure from the usual light hearted romances from the author. Here in Mischief Bay, California the author takes a deep look into the strengths and frailties of human relationships. This book is about the complicated nature of women's relationships ~ mothers, daughters, sisters and wives and the every day challenges women face.  
Harper has always been a home body, encouraged by her mother to be that perfect homemaker. Forced by divorce to fend for herself she creates a virtual assistant business that she can run from home while still attempting to be a perfect daughter and mother. For a woman like me who rarely cooks I chuckle as she guiltily orders pizza or confesses to her daughter that they need to get take out as she hasn't had a chance to cook.
Her sister Stacey is a far cry from a home maker. With a double PHD she's researching a cure to human disease. In her third trimester she panics at the thought of becoming a mother. In fact she still hasn't told her mother about her happy event for fear of her mother's acerbic comments about her ability to raise children.  Her husband Kit is a treasure. Ladies if any of you come across a man like him, snatch him up and make him yours immediately.
Their mother Bunny is like a drama queen. She expects perfection from Harper and nothing from Stacey. Living in the mother-in-law apartment with Harper she's in and out of Harper's home commenting on her daughter's choices.  Of course the other young woman is Harpers teenage daughter. Even as Harpers tries to make her world revolve around her daughter her increasing focus on her business is creating a distance between a young girl on the cusp of womanhood who wants to be liked and fit in.
As these women's stories weave in and out of the various other relationships and choices they make in their day to day living we get to meet Lucas, Harper's top client who not only gives Harper advise but also becomes the surrogate dad her daughter needs. I absolutely loved the empowering cameos as these women face down various circumstances and more than hold their own.
This is a great read for women seeking inspiration and empowerment. The romance however is a bit of an afterthought and the happy ending is very rushed. It feels as though the author suddenly realized that she didn't have enough words left to write an effective happy ending.
This is definitely not one of my favorite books from an author who I have on auto buy.

I ended up liking this book much better than I did a few chapters in.  The main characters, two sisters, Harper and Stacey, as well as their mother, Bunny, and Harper’s daughter Becca, were all annoying and I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to spend a few hours in their company.

Harper is an uptight Martha Stewart who has to make everything perfect for her family, which is now just her teenage daughter since her husband left her for a younger woman.  She’s trying to make a go of a business she created to be a virtual assistant to people who need someone to do all sorts of mundane to interesting tasks for them.  She’s a doormat for her mother, daughter, and business clients.  I just wanted to smack her and tell her to stick up for herself.  

She’s trying to win the approval of her obnoxious mother who seems stuck in the 1950s where men are always right and women are meant to serve them.  Bunny can’t stop herself from little digs at Harper for not pleasing her husband enough and then daring to try to earn a living instead of spending all her time on her daughter.

That daughter, Becca, seems a stereotypically self-centered teen girl who is also going through her own problems dealing with her parents’ divorce and her best friend moving away.  She takes her insecurities out on her mother.

Meanwhile, Harper’s younger sister, Stacey, is the exact opposite.  She’s a medical research scientist who is also about six months pregnant and totally insecure about whether she can be a decent mother.  She seems totally disconnected from her pregnancy and resists any discussions of her baby such as buying furniture and preparing a room for the new arrival.  I’m no sure how someone six or seven months pregnant can be seemingly so unaware of her pregnancy until someone mentions it.  A woman might be unhappy or nervous about being pregnant, but it’s rather hard to ignore the fact that she’s pregnant.  

So all the women are annoying and need a big gulp of wake-up juice.  Fortunately for them, the three younger women all have guys in their lives who seem to be much better than they deserve.  Stacey’s husband, Kit, is eager to be a stay-at-home father and is gentle and loving taking care of his wife.  Any woman would love him for a husband.  Stacey and Kit have given his nephew the chance to stay with them before he goes off to MIT for college.  The nephew is a super nice and smart kid who has had a tough time in foster care because his mother is an addict.  He’s also hot-looking and falls right away for Becca.  He’s even such a great guy that he doesn’t press her for sex like the other teens in her circle are doing.

And Harper has Lucas, one of her clients, the police partner of the hero from an earlier book in the series.  Lucas is such a great guy who seems to really care for Becca and steps in to give her fatherly advice and teach her how to drive since her real father is an uncaring loser of a dad.  His only problem is that, as a 50-ish guy, he likes to date women in their 20s with names like Persimmon because he doesn’t want to risk actually falling for a woman.  But he is falling for Harper and helping her get through her tough times as well as helping both her and Becca to grow up.  

The guys are much more appealing than all the women so the main tension in the book is whether the women can grow up enough to be worthy of them.  This is less a romance book than a women’s fiction sort of book.  Too bad because I liked the guys a lot more than the women.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Harper is a divorced Mother to a teenager struggling to pay her bills who sets impossibly high standards for herself. Her daughter Becca grows more distant every day. Her sister Stacey is a successful professional married to a wonderful man and about to be a Mother. Stacey is afraid she won’t be a good Mother. She doesn’t feel any connection to the baby she’s carrying. The women’s Mother, Bunny, is overbearing and critical.

This is a story about family dynamics and relationships. This book addresses the relationship between sisters, mothers and daughters and romantic interests.  Bunny wasn’t a very likable character for most of the book but by the end you understood where she was coming from. I liked the sisters but both of them needed to take a chill pill. They set impossibly high standards for themselves. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

At the start of this one this family is a hot mess.  It was interesting to see how each woman pulled themselves together.  I liked how Harper learned to stand up for herself in all aspects of her life.  By letting some things go she was able to have a fuller life.  Becca was your typical teen, one who only thought of herself.  I loved the ally she found, the lessons Becca was taught, she was a much better person by the end.  Bunny drove me nuts, hated how she made everything about herself.  I was a bit surprised that Stacey ended up being my favorite.  She comes off cold, but she isn't, she's just clinical, her mind very practical.  I loved how Stacey welcomed Ashton, how she kept letting him know he was very welcomed within her family.  Stacey's motherhood dilemma had me smiling, I think mostly because she kept confiding in her dog and learning lessons from her too. By the end of the book you know all of these women are on the right track in their lives.

This is the 4th book in the Mischief Bay series. In this title Harper is still dealing with her divorce and has started a Virtual assistant job to pay her bills. She is dealing with her teenager daughter Becca who seems to not care about her anymore and after all that having to deal with an overbearing mother who believes if Harper was a better wife her husband would not have left. Stacey Harper's sister is a scientist who is trying to cure MS. Stacey has never seen herself as a family but kit broke down that wall not only did they get married but they are currently waiting for their first born to arrive. Stacey is in denial about this and throughout the book searches her scientific mind to come to terms with it. As with this series not only do we get more than one Protagonist we get alot of secondary characters. We meet up again with Lucas the cop from a million things who loves to date girls young to be his daughter, Ashton who is Kit's nephew who comes to stay with him and stacey, Dean who is a burst of personality working with Harper and of course Bunny(Harpers and Stacey mom) who is hard to like but you understand where she is coming from. A wonderful addition to the series. Review on Goodreads and Amazon.com

Mallery created a book that has characters with depth and a plot that feels fresh.. I appreciate the fact that it deals with some unpleasant realities that sometimes occur in life.  It is a story that kind of creeps into your heart and you just can't put it down.

A test of love and patience between a mother, sisters, and daughters. Navigating the many stages of life and unmet expectations, and overwhelming fear of motherhood are mixed together through this story by Susan Mallery,. Many people will see parts of themselves in this fun read.

I was thrilled to get this book because I love Mallery books and liked the first book in the series. The book moved so slowly that I put it down several times. I kept trying to get into the book, but every time my mind would wonder because I simply was not invested in the story or the characters.

I really liked this book.  I liked both the sisters and enjoyed their stories.  I thought that Harper's story was resolved a little abruptly, but overall I enjoyed this story.