Thanks NetGalley for this amazing read, the ARC of Only Sisters is fantastic by Lilian Nattel.
What a truly superb read, this book was so enjoyable, I loved the writing style the author uses and her introduction of characters is done well, I totally connected with the characters. This is a first read of her books for me but will be reading her others.
The story is of a sister who takes on her sister's online Facebook and Instagram accounts in order to carry on her identity, their mom is sick and Vivien makes her sister Joan promise not to let their mother know if something happens to Vivien. Joan is a palliative care doctor and does home visits, her sister Vivien works over Seas doing mission type work. The plan goes a little sideways when a son given up in adoption reaches put to Vivien with questions about his background. There is so much more woven into this story about human connections, love, life, sadness, death, happiness and more
I liked at the end of the book, Joan puts into perspective the value of objects that surround her, makes me remember/realize what is really important in life, family and friendship and so much more
I highly recommend this book! Very well done, a great read. Thank you for this novel.

I loved that this book was set in Ontario, other then that I was confused a lot. I thought that Joan and her sister were young adults, not young adults at hearts. It was all too much of a stretch to me and I could not fully get into it

I really enjoyed this moody, very emotional novel. Slow at times but in a good way, the author gave you time to absorb the moments and the feelings and I was able to get to know the characters well. I found myself annoyed at Joan sometimes for the way she let herself be taken advantage of, but sometimes she just had to do the wrong thing for the right result. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the advanced copy.

ONLY SISTERS is a complicated, and tough, look at family - loyalty, obligations, lies. Joan agrees to impersonate her sister, Vivien, after she dies, so their dying mother won't have to grieve the loss. Certain events lead to Joan falling into the role of Vivien maybe more that expected, and the choices, and lies, that follow are complex.

Overall, I really enjoyed the writing style and think this would make a great book for a bookclub.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for the digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Joan agrees to impersonate her sister Vivien, if she died while on the job (which she goes, this is not a spoiler). She agrees to keep up appearances while her mom is dealing with her own health issues. But then Viven’s son reaches out, the one she gave up for adoption.

I always have a soft spot for books set in Ontario. I did enjoy the writing style and will be giving this author another shot, but this storyline was just “ok” to me. It was weird for her to be impersonating her sister when she is dead. When she was talking to Vivien’s son as Vivien, It was like a weird take on a catfish which didn’t sit well with me. I liked how it came full circle but I was still a little disappointed overall.

Thank you to NetGallery and Penguin Random House Canada for this eARC!

It was a good book, I was hopeful things would work out for all and it did in the end
3 star rating

This was a really great read! I was immediately drawn into the story of Joan, Vivien and their rather dysfunctional family. While Vivien is working in Africa, Joan stays home to look after their aging mother. Past trauma plays a major role in determining how Joan deals with the deaths of her sister and her mother.

Well I knew shortly after I started that this book was not for me. Pretending to be her sister for the mom's sake is one thing - the rest was so completely unnecessary and just wrong. This grown adult was acting like a teenager and I just could not get past that. ..I did finish thinking that the onw decision my play oit okahy...no it led from one bad decision to another. The writing style was great and I would likely try this author again - just this particular storyline was a no.

I wanted to love this book, I really did.
I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the situations in this novel. It just didn’t seem realistic to me and it wasn’t a situation where I could put myself in and wonder what I would do. I feel like it’s not a spoiler to say because the author writes this in the synopsis. Her sister dies and she lies to everyone and impersonates her online? Creepy. It just wasn’t for me unfortunately.

I throughly enjoyed this book.The fact that I grew up in Toronto the setting for this book made it extra special.The story line is about 2 sisters and the way they grew up and and decisions they made. I would highly recommend this book.

I wanted to love this book. It’s a great tale of family, bringing drama and love. The conflict that Joan faces is not something you see everyday and it’s hard to imagine what you would do if you were in her situation.

There will be people who love this story. I just wasn’t able to connect with the characters in a way that made it memorable for me. That is an issue with me and not with the author. Sometimes you just don’t connect with a story. Doesn’t mean it’s a bad story and I hope others give the novel an honest try because there is a good story here that will touch many others.

I was super lucky and got to read an advance copy of this book. I devoured it.

Family is hard but such a gift. This book captures the trials and tribulations as well as the incredible gifts of the family dynamic. And how it can look so incredibly different for everyone. At the end of the day we all want to be loved and connected.

This is my first written review ever so I’m hoping it’s ok and gets better the more I try.

Only sisters is a story of family. Families who share, lie and love. Only sisters gave us an in depth view of how the family dynamics can work. I found that Joan was very interesting, however found that many of her decisions were a little immature. Being a past ER doctor and current palliative care MD I just had a hard time believing she would do a lot of these things. I found Vivien fascinating and really loved how she was depicted however as well as most of the other family members. I had a bit of a hard time with the time period as well as a lot of it sounded older than it was. Overall, it was entertaining and there was constantly some drama happening I just don't think it's one I would recommend for most people.

Thank you to netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Story about love, loss, grief, secrets, loyalty, forgiveness, growth. Loved how this book made me feel. Not sure if I could do what she did and live with the lie. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc of this book.

dnf at %5

I thought from the description alone that this book sounded really promising and good. Perhaps set a couple years ago as it mentions Ebola and that maybe our MCs would be in their mid to late 30s but they're 59 at the beginning of the book and it's sounds like its set back like war-timey. Its not something I'm intrested in and I tried to give it a chance but i just wasn't connecting and I was falling bored.

In complete honesty i want thinking it would be like The Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score because thats the vibe I got from the description. I have nothing against this book besides its just not my preferred genres therefore i was bored by it.

thank you NetGalley and Penguin House for the digital ARC to review honestly. Because i reviewed this book poorly/DNFed i will not be posting it on review sites out of respect for the author and publisher as the reason for the rating is no result of the book