Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ecopy.
The Frederick Sisters are Living the Dream was a fun and heartfelt novel about the relationship between three sisters, in particular, that between Ginny and Maggie. Maggie struggles in trying to provide care to her often-resistant older sister Ginny who has an intellectual disability, among a myriad of other health problems. Through these trials, their bond remains strong and it’s refreshing to see them both emerge through some life struggles and still make their way together to the other side of things.

Amazing plot line, well-written. I was reading it and AMAZING. A page turner and I think the author did a great job.

I could not get into this one at all. I should have known better, based on the blurb, but was still intrigued enough to request it. Unfortunately I felt lost from the beginning. This one was not a good fit for me.

Great story from the beginning to the end. It really shows how hard being a care giver, mother, human being can be.

Oh man, this book and my heart! I was so endeared by it, definitely one of my favorite contemporary fiction reads of 2023. It was witty, frustrating at times, and emotional. All in a very good way.

This book was lovely! I am from the Hudson Valley, so I enjoyed the locations and vibe of the whole setting.

I really wanted to like this after reading the fun description and the comparison to Eleanor Oliphant but it fell flat for me. It was too rambling to keep my attention.

I read this book when it first came out and absolutely loved it. First of all, the cover is beautiful and second of all, I really enjoy reading about elder people with big personalities and that is exactly what this book has.

Maggie (the younger sister) gets a call from the ER telling her her older sister Ginny has overdosed on Strawberry Jello. Ginny has some intellectual disabilities and Maggie knows she needs to take her in, but the two sisters are truly so different and both are quite frustrated with the arrangement. The story unfolds with lots of laugh out loud moments and a lot of very real family moments where the sisters are not particularly nice to each other.

I love these family drama stories, Sorry for the late review. I enjoyed this story but it wasnt my favorite.

Quick Take:
This was an adorable story about some quirky sisters and a great cast of side characters - and - my favorite part - two dogs! I love a sisters story - in this one we have Maggie and Ginny who both are dealing with some life issues - marriage, health, motherhood, all the things. I didn't feel as emotionally invested as I expected to but overall this was a nice read and made me want to go hug my big sister. The chapters were LONG so I feel like it would have moved a bit faster if the parts were split up into shorter chapters, but overall this is a good read filled with unique and quirky characters and the bond that sisters share.

I was able to download this title from NetGalley. I was drawn to the book because of the description. I had just finished Eleanore Oliphant and I really enjoyed it, and the description on The Frederick Sisters said fans of Gail Honeyman might also enjoy this.

The description of The Frederick Sisters was hilarious and made me laugh out loud. I wanted to love this book, but I made it about ten percent through before deciding this wasn’t for me. My main issue is with the pacing and organization of the story.

I didn’t love that there was so much backstory immediately. The two sisters are driving from Maryland to New York but most of the story is a callback to when Ginny and Maggie (and Betsy, who I immediately decided I didn’t like) are kids. We also get a peak into Maggie’s current relationship situation with her ex. It all just felt like too much to be introduced to so early in the book.

Maggie find herself suddenly having to her her sister's caretaker, with their other sister living on the other side of the country.
The story itself was too slow for me.

Quirky and fun - with some un-put-downable moments. I read this in one sitting and was genuinely curious about how the sisters would navigate it all. Great read covering a variety of real life struggles and the motives of why we do things as a family. I appreciate the the copy of this for a review. I would give it 3 stars as there were moments that I felt myself pushing through rather than reading through with anticipation.

"The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream," by Jeannie Zusy is a story about family and how we try to care for eachother, even during the most challenging of circumstances.

Maggie Frederick, a separated, broke, mother of two, is forced to move her sister, Ginny, a woman with special needs, from her home in Maryland after having a near-death infection. It comes with many challenges, least of all, that their older sister Bets is living "The Life," in California and is not interested in helping at all.. Over the course of a couple of years, we see how Maggie, Ginny, and Bets lives intertwine in heartfelt ways.

While, I liked the character development, I felt the story was slow and mundane. I appreciate how the characters change, but found that it seemed to happen with time and not with any great plot development. Nevertheless, thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

One of those books with "quirky" characters like Eleanor Oliphant, it's the story of three sisters. There's one responsible one, one free spirit, and one who is special needs. Despite all their flaws, they're a loving family. It's funny, sweet, and dramatic in places. The frustration of being a caregiver for a sibling, and feeling like you're doing it all while other siblings do nothing, is perfectly captured in Maggie. And the lesson that each of the sisters learns is that thinking "the grass is always greener" most often in discovering it isn't.

All the characters are well written, likeable, except perhaps Betsy, but eventually it is revealed why she has chosen to live her life the way she has. Maggie's narration is like the Energizer Bunny on Red Bull. A lot of the time it's just stream-of-consciousness, as if the reader is there and she's just filling silence, but having been a caregiver for both my parents for many years and watching my brother do nothing until it was time for the will reading, I get Maggie so much. And Ginny, she's something else. Sometimes she comes across as the smartest of all of them, besides having some mental disability.

I loved this book. I look forward to more by this author.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions offered are mine and freely given.

This was a really slow-moving plot for me. It felt like a stream of consciousness that I couldn't keep up with and one that won't stay with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books as well as the author for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
#NetGalley #AtriaBooks #JeannieZusy #TheFrederickSistersAreLivingTheDream
What a sweet book! Not my usual genre but, when there’s a dog in the story I usually can’t resist. I’m glad I read this one.
When the E.R. calls Maggie to tell her that her neurodiverse and diabetic, older sister has been brought in for trouble with her diabetes, she knows Ginny can’t live alone any longer. Maggie will now be her caretaker. What follows is a sweet story about family and the difficulties of being a main caretaker.
This story is full of emotion and hard truths. Anyone who has been the main support system for someone knows this theme well. The difficulties that include guilt, time constraints, and the feeling that nothing you do helps or is even appreciated. This book is written from the point of view of the main character so the reader is treated to all of her struggles as a mother and a sister, even as a wife. There are a lot of high-running emotions as well as some laughs and, of course, the dogs. The dogs were my favorite part.
Parts of the book were a bit slow, but, overall, it was a great book. 4.5 stars

The Frederick Sisters are Living the dream is about the realities of life.

Bets, the oldest, is a surfing superstar. She left home at 18, and has rarely looked back. She feels that everyone should do what feels good and live only in the moment.

Virginia, the middle child, was born with special needs, and is on the spectrum. She's retired from her job as a school custodian. Her uncontrolled diabetes has caused disabilities that mean she can no longer live alone.

Maggie is the youngest. She's separated from her husband, has one son in college and another in high school. She's stepped up to oversee Ginny's care.

This is a story of familial relationships and the challenges that they bring. I would recommend this title to everyone, particularly those in the "sandwich" generation.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free digital copy of this title to review.

#TheFrederickSistersareLivingtheDream#JenniferZusy#NetGalley

Thanks so much to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advance read in exchange for this review.

Maggie gets a call from Maryland and her older sister with intellectual disabilities can no longer live on her own. She picks her and her dog up and drives them both back to New York. There's another sister, but of course she is on the other coast and cannot help.

Maggie is in the middle of a divorce, is raising 2 boys, works in advertising, and is now a caretaker. There is humor and sadness as she tries to deal with everything that comes along when you are a caretaker.

This book was hilarious. I loved Maggie. I was hesitant to read this after reading some of the other reviews, but now I think those reviews were too harsh. The book is glimpse into Maggie's life as she cares for her sister. I thought the author did a good job of handling a delicate subject but also adding so much humor to it. Maggie thinks she is doing what is best for her sister, but Ginny has her own antics and ideas.

The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream by Jeannie Zusy is a heartwarming novel that delves into the complexities of family relationships, especially when it comes to caring for a sibling with special needs. When Maggie's sister, Ginny, who has intellectual disabilities and diabetes, overdoses on strawberry Jell-O, Maggie takes her in to live with her in upstate New York.

The story explores Maggie's journey as a caretaker for Ginny, and the challenges she faces in juggling her responsibilities as a mother, freelancer, and now, caretaker. The novel is filled with humor and compassion, as Zusy delves into the intricacies of the sisters' relationships, including the tension between Maggie and their other sister, Betsy, who is against the idea of Ginny living with Maggie.

Zusy does an excellent job of capturing Ginny's character and her struggles, from her addiction to sugar, to her porn habit and reluctance to cooperate. The story is told through Maggie's perspective, and her dark humor and patience in dealing with Ginny's antics are endearing.

Overall, The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream is a touching novel about the importance of family, the challenges of caregiving, and the power of love and compassion. It will make you laugh, cry, and appreciate the bonds that hold us together, even in the most difficult of circumstances.