This book was a marvelously written ode to sisterhood. It also showed remarkable empathy and perception of persons with special needs. I highly recommend!!

This was a fun novel about the bond between sisters Maggie and Ginny. I think it did a good job of showing the chaos of middle age: caring for grown children, an ex-husband and an intellectually challenged sister. While I didn’t love all the choices that Maggie made I appreciated the care and compassion that was behind it all.

A solid, easy read about a mother / ex-wife/ lonely single lady / caregiver to a mentally disabled sister / working artist who is juggling a number of important roles. Her juggling at times is raw, awkward, and rewarding. The book goes through her ups and downs over the course of several years as she adapts to her changing family needs. The plot is simple and at times slow coming to a gentle ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for this ARC.

You know when you need a little cheerful book to balance out thrillers or serious drama books? This little story is just the ticket. The sisters are fun and it's the kinda of heartwarming story that you need to read every once and awhile!

Zusy's Frederick sisters navigate a complicated, stressful situation and drastic changes with plenty of mistakes, forgiveness, and persistent love that sees them through.

When Maggie gets a call that her older sister Ginny--diabetic but a sugar lover, with intellectual disabilities--needs more help than she's getting living on her own, she brings Ginny and her occasionally vicious dog to live nearby in upstate New York.

But Maggie already has a maxed-out life: she's separated from her husband, she has two boys, she's getting by on a freelancer's pay, and she's just starting to date again. Meanwhile, Ginny is bull-headed, hooked on sugar and porn, and not inclined to cooperate with Maggie's requests--or those of her caregivers.

Zusy notes that the character of Ginny was inspired by Zusy's own brother, and the fictional interactions of Maggie and Ginny feel informed by Zusy's real-life exchanges with her sibling, who also had intellectual disabilities.

I had a tough time pinning down the tone in this roller-coaster story--I wasn't always sure whether Zusy was aiming for what felt like moment-to-moment shifts from playful to alarming to quirky, but it left me a little disoriented.

The difficult dynamic of Maggie's feeling responsible for--yet not parenting--a special-needs, grown sibling is conveyed with all of the awkward, upsetting, challenging elements one might expect.

Maggie is navigating a fraught, tough situation. She provides a safe framework for Ginny with caregivers and an accessible home for her wheelchair, but Ginny has her own money and credit card, and she is obsessed with Hawaiian Punch and Jell-O, and refuses to test her blood sugar. The push and pull of Ginny's strong preferences and opinions and how she is unswayed by consequences was stressful to live through along with Maggie on the page.

Ginny is a fully realized character; Maggie is navigating a messy, complicated life with grace; and their relationship was absolutely the highlight of the book for me.

In The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream, Jeannie Zusy offers a messy, heartwarming family story with dark humor--and a sense that the matter of who's taking care of who is not as cut-and-dried as it may first seem.

The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream is Jeannie Zusy's first novel.

I received an electronic prepublication edition of this book courtesy of Atria Books and NetGalley.

I will start by saying, I am an only child. I have no concept of a sibling. This book helped me to better understand the dynamic of siblings, especially female siblings, and the care of a sister with special needs.

I think the development of the characters was very good. By seeing the personality of each of the sisters, the readers are able to understand each of their parts in their relationship as siblings. The relationship between the two youngest sisters, Ginny (middle sister with special needs) and Maggie the youngest sister and caregiver to Ginny. You not only learn of the love Maggie has for Ginny, but you also see her frustration as she knows she is the one responsible for her care.

The oldest sister, Betsy, has a much lesser role in the story. She is the one who has taken off to the other side of the country in order to be away from the drama of their home life. The dynamic of Betsy is more of one who does not feel any responsibility for her younger siblings, even in adulthood.

I enjoyed reading about the sisters and their relationship. It is a lovely story and would be a great beach read.

The topics covered in this book? I’ve lived them. The conversations? I’ve had them. Every frustration? I’ve experienced them. And that, I think, hampered my enjoyment of this book.

I like that Jeannie Zusy used personal experience as a caregiver to her brother Davie to give life to such a complex topic, because she does a phenomenal job of illustrating the highs and the lows (and everything in between) of caring for a family member. It’s often a hard topic to talk about, but Zusy infuses this book with the love and anger I think is true to so many of these situations (mine included).

My issue was really related to the writing style of the book. Two pages in, I already knew I wasn’t going to vibe with the tone of the book, and I wasn’t wrong. I found it too chatty and conversational — in an almost forced way — and the stream-of-consciousness style really presented me from connecting with our main character, Maggie. Plus, some of the phrasing just didn’t feel natural (a character described memory as “a meany,” which, just… no.) Other reviewers have called this book “funny,” but I don’t think I laughed — or even smiled — once while reading it. The stream-of-consciousness writing also meant the timeline felt chaotic as we were bouncing from event to event in the space of a few pages. I get that doing so was intended to break up the flow storyline, but the past never added the emotional depth it needed to.

The characters are interesting, especially because of their flaws, but none of them were particularly likable. I don’t think characters need to be likable (especially female characters), but I think there needs to be a reason you’re rooting for them. Maggie is a cheater who maybe drinks too much (and drives drunk) and is super judgmental and harried. None of her positive traits — her kindness, her understanding, her mothering abilities, her skill at her job, etc. — feel evenly balanced with her negative traits. The sister Maggie is taking care of (Ginny) is also never really given much understanding — instead, so much space is dedicated to her slovenliness, her bad grooming, her refusal to stop eating sugar even though it will kill her. And the oldest sister, Betsy, has just peaced out of this whole situation with a mentality of “let someone else take care of her” and “if she keeps doing this and dies, she dies,” and there isn’t a reason for Bets’ cold heart until deep into the book.

Heaven knows caregiving takes an epic toll on families. And I like the fact that Zusy didn’t try to gloss over the situation and make everyone involved into saints who have never done anything wrong in their entire lives. But there was so much frustration in this book that it outweighed the heartwarming moments.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream is a quirky story that follows sisters Maggie and Ginny. Maggie gets the call that her older sister Ginny, who suffers from diabetes and being mentally challenged, is in the hospital. She needs full time care so Maggie takes her back home to upstate NY, along with her ornery dog. What follows is a story of caretakers, love, family, and the chaos of all of those.

This was a delightful read, highly recommend! Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for the ARC. This book is out now!

This was a heartfelt and darkly humorous book about the bonds of sisterhood and the ways mistakes from the past can haunt us.

Youngest sister Maggie gets called when her middle sister Ginny, who has diabetes and intellectual disabilities overdoses on sugar and needs assistance. Forced into a caretaker role, Maggie has to try to make her sister give up sugar and not scare off her aides.

I really liked the look at how hard life as a caretaker can be while also showing that people with disabilities have needs and desires in their own right. Ginny fights for her independence, secretly ordering sweets on Amazon and hiding a porn addiction.

The disability rep was well done here and I enjoyed this complex family story a lot. Recommended for fans One two three by Laurie Frankel or Consent by Annabel Lyon. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

As soon as I read the description and it was for fans 𝘌𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘖𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘐𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘦 meets 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘥 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘎𝘰, 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦 I knew that I had to read this one. I'm so glad I took a chance on it because I really did enjoy it! It's so different and quirky and I really liked the writing and characters. I cannot wait to read what the author comes out with next!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Atria Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful novel by Jeannie Zusy - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Maggie is living in Upstate NY, separated from her husband, one son in college and the other about to graduate high school. She gets a call that her sister, Ginnie, who has intellectual disabilities, is in the hospital with severe diabetes issues. Ginnie isn't able to return home yet so, against the wishes of their older sister, Bets, who lives in CA, Maggie brings her to NY. There begins Maggie's new role as caretaker.

Since we moved my elderly mother into our small home last year, I could totally relate to this book and Maggie's struggles. It's full of truth, dark humor, and so much heart. I found myself laughing and crying and feeling like someone understood some of the complicated feelings involved in caretaking! There's also things to ponder such as the rights of others in their daily decision making, even when it could be harmful. Although I felt like I didn't really get Bets' character, I could also relate because in most families, there's a division in how these issues are handled and who ends up doing the hard work. I loved these characters and can't wait to read more from this author!

I was immediately sold on this book when I read that it was 𝘌𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘖𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘐𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘦 meets 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘥 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘎𝘰, 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦. I love a heartwarming story filled with quirky characters, and this one fits the bill perfectly. I laughed heartily, and I cried real tears. ❤️‍🩹

This book is for:

✨Sisters
✨Anyone who has loved a pet
✨Women experiencing middle age
✨Anyone who has been a caretaker of an adult – whether as a family member or as your occupation
✨Moms who have parented teens and young adults
✨Anyone who loves someone with intellectual disabilities
✨Anyone who knows the ups and down and highs and lows of a long marriage
✨Anyone who has a heart.

There are so many layers to this book which readers will relate to. For me, what resonated with me so profoundly was the motherhood aspect. In particular:

✨The bittersweet joy and pain of being a parent to grown and almost grown children are beautifully depicted here. The remembering and the holding on and the letting go and the moving on are all found on these pages.

✨The portrayal of the seasons in a mother’s life was masterfully written, and I felt every word.

This is an easy one for me to recommend. You absolutely must read this refreshingly original, adorably quirky, and beautifully heartwarming book. It will definitely make it into my best of 2022 list.

My thanks to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. And thank you so much, @jeannie_zusy, for this magnificent book. I will treasure it!

Available now.

This was a great story with empathetic and realistic characters but unfortunately, the writing style and layout didn't work for me. The writing seemed choppy and I personally struggle with long chunks of writing - this book doesn't have chapters but rather 4 different parts.

I did enjoy the way the author wrote about such a challenging topic. It's something I relate to as family members age and I see the care-giver dynamic play out in my own family. I look forward to reading more from this author

Becoming caregiver for her older intellectually challenged sister becomes the centre of Maggie's life, what with looking after not only Ginny and her many medical issues and her crazy dog, but also her own life. Sensitive and well written, the tale of sisters and the bonds that bind them is well worth the read.

I guess the third time really is the charm - After two unsuccessful attempts to connect with this book, I found my groove on the third and final try. And I’m glad for it. I ended up really enjoying The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream by debut author Jeannie Zusy.

Every family has that one sibling, you know the sibling who handles all the crisis, runs all the errands, is always on call despite being frazzled & overwhelmed- the selfless one; the caregiver!!
Meet the Frederick Sisters: Maggie, Ginny & Bets. All three are in their 50’s, their parents no longer alive. Bets the oldest left home at an early age and she’s never looked back. Ginny, willful and stubborn (and very entertaining) is intellectually disabled (“I’m slow not stupid”) yet able to live independently and then there is Maggie, the youngest. Her plate is FULL, she’s in the midst of a divorce, trying to stay afloat while mothering her two teenage sons when her older sister Ginny has a medical emergency that requires full time assistance. Can life get anymore complicated?!?!!

This is an honest, realistic look at family obligations, expectations, frustrations, grievances and ultimately love.
The author’s acknowledgments were really touching as she thanked “the immigrants who care for America” and called home-care aids her “personal heroes”. We often overlook those who work tirelessly to provide good, quality care for those who can not care for themselves.

My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for gifting me this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this read. I thought this was the book for me when I was reading the synopsis but as I was reading it, I did not find anything about it interesting. I usually like to read book that are real life situation and enjoy the day to day but this just did not have interesting characters and I found it a bit boring.

You know those news stories about a woman disappearing and all her family and friends say things like "something must have happened. she would never leave her family." Well, through most of this book I thought that this was why women disappear and leave their family. Maggie has been married for 25 years to a guy who is occasionally employed, has two sons who I couldn't decide if they were raised to rely on her or just followed in their father's footsteps, is solo guardian for a physically and mentally disabled sister who it appears has been catered to her entire life, and has another sister who has avoided any responsibility by living on the opposite coast. Whew! See what I mean? Oh and she is pretty much the only income provider for her family as a advertising board drawer and has incredibly odd hours. After all this is brought forth throughout the book, I never felt there was a solid resolution. I never felt like the reader, or Maggie, got something in return for putting up with all those demands. Other than that, it was an very cute read with some funny and quirky moments.

Jeannie Zusy gives readers the most realistic portrayal I've encountered of what it's like to be the sibling caretaker of a special needs adult. Zusy does an admirable job portraying the conflict caregivers have when trying to find a balance between supporting their sibling's autonomy versus trying to make sure they make good choices. It's messy, and that struggle appears on every page of her debut novel.

Don't open the cover of this book, though, and expect to find an endearing, quaint lead character that transforms from an ugly duckling into a gracious swan. Nope, this book's lead character, Ginny, is much more complicated, as are Ginny's sisters. The story is often dark with edgy humor. It's not hopeless - it's encouraging - but in an authentic way. Characters grow, but they do not morph into new beings.

Readers looking for more literature - realistic literature - featuring neurodiverse characters will appreciate this novel. You will likely respond strongly to the characters if you have a similarly disabled family member.

Some blurbs describe this book as very funny, hilarious, heartwarming, or even romantic. Don't open the cover expecting to smile your way through the book. I found it heartbreaking yet tender. The Frederick Sisters is a family drama with a bit of edgy humor thrown in. The humor is the kind real families share when dealing with complicated relationships. No one miraculously transforms in this book. Characters grow, but in fits and starts and often not willingly. They have personality features and behaviors that are not always endearing.

There is a trigger warning for some readers - bad things happen to a few animals in this book. Near the beginning, one incident with a cat was excruciating to read (and I have a high threshold). I took a pause and wondered if I should continue. Reading through other reviews, I see some readers DNFd at this point. Just be aware. There is nothing that bad again in the book. And again, nothing that happens in the story is unrealistic.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ebook version of the novel in return for a review.

I really wanted to like this one, but I had to stop reading about 20% in. I liked the writing and style, I think I just couldn't get into the story. I've dealing with some items in my personal life and this just hit a little close to home on some things and I was just not in the right mindset for this book. It doesn't mean that I won't come back to it someday and absolutely love it, it just wasn't what I was looking for at this time.

3.5 stars

When a book is described as being a combination of two of my favorites: “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine” and “Where’d You Go Bernadette” it automatically makes the top of the queue, and I was glad to get an ARC thanks to NetGalley.

I was intrigued by a story involving sisters my age, particularly as the central character Maggie navigates complexity as now-single mom (separated from her husband) of two teen/young adult boys, work (though as a marketing executive I have a bit of a quibble with the intensity of her work as a storyboard illustrator?), and of course per the title, relationships with her sisters, particularly her special needs older sister Ginny. Ginny’s intellectual (and sort of physical) disabilities were hard to completely grasp (though perhaps that was the author’s point, given her own experience with a special needs brother). Ginny is “slow” (poignant when she describes herself that way), confines herself to a wheelchair. Maggie compels her to move into a house right near hers in a town north of NYC, and she has the fortune of being able to afford two different caregivers, Philomena and Lika, who are perhaps the two most colorful characters in the story. (Some reviews have rightly noted that the book does well in highlighting the importance of immigrant caregivers like these two women, who take on these live in roles to try to in turn create a better life for their own families). Maggie and Ginny alternately resent each other, and need each other. And they both crave the attention of their eldest sister, an aging surfer, who has stayed across the country.

My struggle with the book is it wasn’t a consistently enjoyable read. I appreciate the author’s determination to make the characters imperfect, real… but they were often hard to really connect with, let alone like. I also found the first person present tense writing to somehow make the narration feel more remote.

No one is really “living the dream” here. Still, I’d recommend.