Shred Sisters offers a profound exploration of family dynamics and mental illness, particularly through the lens of sibling relationships. While the story effectively highlights the deep bond between Amy and Ollie, I found Amy’s perspective somewhat limiting and at times frustrating. Although the book starts strong, the second half felt a bit slow and repetitive, focusing too much on Amy's everyday struggles rather than delving deeper into the complexities of both sisters, especially Ollie's challenges. I craved more exploration of their therapy sessions and the intricacies of their trauma. Overall, the book tackles important themes, but it didn't fully meet my expectations. I'd still recommend it to those of you looking for more sibling-centric books!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

*Shred Sisters* by Betsy Lerner is an emotionally rich and intimate novel that delves into the complicated dynamics between two sisters, Amy and Olivia (nicknamed Ollie). The story spans two decades, chronicling Amy’s struggles with her older sister’s erratic behavior, caused by undiagnosed mental illness, and how it impacts their family.

I have been blessed with a sister who is my best friend. My daughter, much to her dismay, wasn’t blessed with a sister at all. Some sister relationships are fraught with drama. Betsy Lerner explores a complex sister relationship in depth in her upcoming novel Shred Sisters. Amy is the younger of the Shred sisters, but because of Olivia’s mental illness and all of the chaos that results, she often feels like the older or the only sister. From a very young age Olivia fights against her sister and her parents. She is first a free spirit and later in spite of or even because of treatment mentally unstable. Olivia refuses to accept the different diagnoses and medicines. Ultimately she rolls in and out of her family’s life at will. Most of her life Amy feels overlooked or challenged.
Amy struggles to function in the world (don’t we all at times?), and the reader can easily see the impact of Olivia here. She longs to be a stable professional with a stable marriage and family and, perhaps, to get the attention and respect of her parents in the process. She just struggles to get there. She works hard to be a researcher and can’t advance; she chooses poorly in relationships; and always, always - Olivia shows up and wreaks havoc in her fragile world. She perseveres; she sees a therapist; she doesn’t even necessarily blame Olivia, but life feels difficult. Olivia has her own struggles. Beginning with family rebellion, bad mental health care scars her early. Her difficulties are heartbreaking as her family wants so badly to do the right things for her. Luckily, she doesn’t disappear altogether, but her returns home generally raise expectations and lead to further heartache. I often found myself scared for her. Amy and Olivia’s parents battle struggles of their own - ultimately unable to meet Olivia’s needs and often unaware of Amy’s - their marriage doesn’t survive the trauma. Lerner creates complex, believable characters, and this reader felt their joys and sorrows. Through them she explores the impact of one difficult family member on them all. She creates a surrounding cast of folks who are also well developed and who help to highlight all that the Shreds have been through. Lerner is a compassionate writer as she shows us a world of broken people; she invites us to offer compassion.
Ultimately, Lerner celebrates the strength of this pair of sisters - Amy and Olivia Shred. Without giving anything away, the novel does end on notes of hope for these two and their parents. Lerner doesn’t offer a magical resolution for anyone, but she allows for them to see that relationships, therapy, and sisterly love, can prevail over a host of sorrows. I am reminded to be grateful for my sister - for the love and support that she offers me when others cannot. I am reminded that everyone may be just a little bit broken inside. When you get the chance read Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner - she will challenge you perceptions in a very good way.

This is a book primarily about the bond between two sisters. The older sister, Ollie, is the golden child that holds all the parents hope for success. The younger, shy sister, Amy, is studious a bit of an outcast and idolizes her sister. As they mature, you learn that Ollie has a mental illness, possibly bipolar disorder and creates havoc in the family’s life during her manic episodes. She spends time in a facility but refuses to take her medication consistently. It’s amazing she doesn’t get into drugs or do significant harm. When she comes back to earth, the parents are grateful to have her back in the fold and consistently lied to themselves that she’s all better now. Her sister Amy knows better. This is a story that is filled with honesty. It’s difficult to ferret out exactly how Ollie’s behavior impacted Amy’s emotional fitness. I was completely wrapped up in this book. The ending was a little flat.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an advanced reader’s copy.

An emotional look at the complexities of sisterhood, mental illness, and the struggle to understand one’s role in supporting a damaged loved one.

Amy Claire Shred is the sister of Olivia (Ollie), who is four years older. Living in the shadow of her beautiful, stubborn, impatient sister, Amy slowly develops an appreciation for the fact that all is not well in Ollie’s internal world. Skinny, bespectacled and clumsy, Amy is brainy and bullied, deeply in awe of her sister, and terrified as she begins to comprehend Ollie’s chaotic and erratic future.

As Amy comes to terms with the reality of her sister’s behavior, she must learn to let go, and to accept a sisterhood that is deeply flawed, fraught with unrealized expectations, and in large part completely without trust.

A skillfully-rendered study of emotional limitations and the journey to acceptance, this is in many ways a challenging read, unsettling in its resolute (and authentic) recognition of pain for, through and on behalf of our loved ones — pain that may or may not be, after all, totally resolvable.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

“no one will ever love your more or hurt you more than a sister.” The truth of that phrase is shown in such a beautiful way in this book. This a raw story about the messiness and pain you experience in sisterhood, family, friendships, and also about the effects of mental illness. It starts off with the girls at a young age and goes through to adulthood. Dealing with a family member with mental illness is hard and this story showed the raw vulnerability of that so well. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

This was a touching but painful and raw portrait of the lives of two different sisters, one who is inexorably influenced by the other in nearly every aspect of her life. The story, while simple, was engaging. I felt for both sisters, and just wanted the best for them. Sometimes, the narration felt a bit flat, and there was a lack of resolution. While this is more realistic than a neat little bow to end of the story, I felt a bit disappointed with the ending nonetheless. Overall, this was a strong debut and I look forward to reading more from the author.

This was an interesting read. We have the world of two sisters, hence the title: the cautious, tentative Amy, who narrates our journey, and Ollie, the older sister in whose shadow Amy is located for most of the time. Ollie's path is sinusoidal, ravaging, and mercurial, and the rest of the family is left to figure out what to do in the face of the journeys she takes.

I felt frustrated by this - not really by the author at all, and perhaps this was part of the point. The tale here felt so visceral and raw, and I wanted this to be Amy's story. I liked Amy a lot and wanted to get to know her but felt I never could because her story was constantly intersecting that of her sister's, often adversely, as well as other people in her life. I think that might have been part of the point: Ollie seemed to see herself at the center of her orbit, and that complicated other people looking to find their own self-agency.

The writing was great: Lerner's verisimilitude was outstanding. This felt near-memoirish at times, and I always use that as the highest praise. It was a quick read, albeit challenging due to the emotional turmoil that Amy and her family had to endure. Sad but powerful.

In the end everything was fine. Life for the Shred Sisters was challenging but isn't life a challenge for all of us. Betsy Lerner has a voice that I look forward to hearing more from.

This book had its issues, pacing was erratic: started off very slow, then the end felt rushed.

But it was also very deep, the characters development was another level. Each had their own flaws and struggles and the book highlighted family dynamics very well as well as sibling relationships.

Each character is so well developed and I really liked seeing the incorporation of mental illness through the sister. Some things from this book I really related to personally which always makes me very invested in a book. It was a captivating, honest and beautifully written book I really enjoyed and think many others will like and relate to in some way

This one was interesting in its themes, but ultimately it didn’t work for me personally, due to some of the things the characters do.

First, I couldn’t find it in me to care much for the wealthy family who just throws money at very real mental health issues. And then the protagonist does something that infuriated me just as she was finding happiness in her life, and for such a stupid reason.

I really liked reading about the dynamic between Olivia and pretty much any other character, especially with our protagonist, her younger sister, Amy. There relationship is so tumultuous, due to Ollie’s rollercoaster mental health.

There just wasn’t enough of what was interested in to compete with the ways in which this book had me in an almost perpetual eye roll…

This deep, moving story drew me in and didn’t let me go. The blurb ends with the quote “no one will love you or hurt you more than a sister”, and that really sums up so much about the book so beautifully. Delving into the complexities of sisterhood, family and found family, mental health and more, the author paints such a touching story with relatable characters that my heart just ached for from start to finish.

This riveting debut follows two sisters who couldn’t be more different from the time they were young, which hooked me immediately as something I could absolutely personally relate to. I love my little sister, but everyone who knows us both would agree that we’re very different people with very different personalities. The sisters in this one, Amy and Olivia (aka Ollie), take this concept of differences between sisters to the extreme in such a bittersweet way. Amy is the studious, rule-following sister who is trying to navigate the world with her own ups and downs of “coming into adulthood”, while her sister Ollie has been the loud, boisterous, rule-breaker from the time she was young with no brakes on her wild life. Through the pages, we follow the family over the course of about twenty years, watching the sisters grow up and work through all of the complexities of family/found family, psych disorders, adultery, and so much more.

The prose was absolutely addicting, and I loved how the writing style just kept me flipping the pages. The author created such well-developed characters that it felt like I knew them - while I didn’t always agree with their choices and just wanted to shake both of those sisters at times, they were characters that I couldn’t help but root for. As I watched Amy and Ollie grow through the years, it was honestly a little eye opening and taught me valuable lessons of being more aware and open-minded about all of the hardships others may be going through. There are certainly more emotions and vibes than plot, but I was there for it all. My only criticism is that it was hard to stay in this messy, dramatic world for such a long time, but the story probably couldn’t be told any other way.

All in all, I really enjoyed this story of perfectly imperfect characters and how purely it illustrated such difficult topics with grace. I’m impressed with this debut, and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more from this author! Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Shred Sisters” by Betsy Lerner is a poignant novel about two sisters, Amy and Olivia, who could not be more different. The book draws the reader in to the characters, especially Amy, and the Shred family struggles with Ollie and her mental illness. This was heartbreaking to read at times, but it is also a painfully honest portrayal of how mental illness and addiction can both strain families but also bring out incredible acts of love. I appreciated Lerner showing how having a mentally ill sister continued to affect Amy and her relationships. Definitely recommended. Thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the eARC.

This book wasn't exactly my taste, but I think people other than me would like it. I think this book would especially appeal to older women with sisters. The story is long and winding, and there isn't much self-reflection from any of the characters. Like I said, I think this book isn't for my demographic but other people might like it better!

The two Shred sisters could not be any more different. Growing up, Oliva is outgoing, popular, and athletic, while Amy is quiet, studious, and mostly keeps to herself. As Ollie's behavior becomes increasingly erratic, Amy and her parents try to ignore it or make excuses for it -- until they are forced to confront Amy's mental illness and her need for help beyond what they can provide.

As Amy grows up, and her family grows apart, she makes a life for herself, first in university and then in publishing. But no matter where her life goes, she can't help but feel the ways it continues to be shaped by Ollie and their connection -- no matter how fleeting that linkage seems at any given moment.

This is a touching and insightful novel. It effectively explores interesting themes around sisterhood, parent-child relationships, love, and connection.

Highly recommended.

I love family novels and Shred Sisters is a tender and often funny look at a family who is broken apart when faced with mental illness. The protagonist, Amy, is the youngest of two sisters and through her eyes we see what it might be like to have a sibling who cannot break free from her manic episodes and depression. Amy has her own struggles and in this coming of age/young adult journey, figures out her own place within the family and also in the larger world. The writing is descriptive and strong, and the characters interact in emotional and difficult situations. This was a great story and I hope the author writes more novels and explores the lives of middle aged women.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy of this novel.

As a younger sister, I loved this book. My sister is nothing like Ollie, but just the feeling that the other sibling has such an effect on how you live your life and view the world was so interesting. I felt for Amy throughout the story.

I was really drawn to this book because of the description and the cover. I am interested in reading books about sisterhood and the themes that come with it. However, I just couldn't get into this book. The writing was very minimalistic and concise, and the writer let the reader put things together, which I really appreciated. It didn't feel heavy handed or overly done. However, I skimmed most of it because I wasn't very interested in the story/characters and the characters felt underdeveloped.

Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for this ARC! Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.

Despite this book being titled Shred Sisters it is narrated and dominated by younger sister, Amy. Thankfully so because Olivia (Ollie) would make for an unreliable narrator to say the least.

We begin the book quite early in the girls' lives and, despite the obvious love between them, Amy always seems to come out second best. It is the perennial complaint of all siblings perhaps that mum and dad have a favourite and Amy finds the fact that the favourite is Ollie even harder to take as Ollie's behaviour becomes more and more self-destructive when her bipolar disorder begins to take hold.

Throughout the book we see Amy striving for perfection as Ollie spirals, calms then spirals again, each time managing to destroy a little more of her family's faith in her ability to recover.

I really liked this book. It is impossible to find fault with Ollie because of her mental health but it is also very easy to sympathise with Amy who constantly feels ignored. Both girls are interesting characters but I really liked Amy and her tenacity in her beliefs and willingness to succeed at everything she does.

This really is simply a long, hard look at family and the relationship between the sisters, but it is so well written that it feels like so much more. There are emotive issues dealt with, such as bipolar, divorce, drug abuse and adultery.

I'd definitely recommend this book.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the advance review copy.

I would like to thank Grove Press and NetGalley for access to the eARC of this title by Betsy Lerner.

While reading this book I realized Betsy Lerner is a master at transporting the reader to the moment being depicted without being weighed down in dense fluff. I really enjoyed this memoir like writing style despite being jumped around from one moment to the next, this was done without being jarring. The depiction of the characters felt extremely real, to the point where it could border on cringe but mainly because pieces of it were so relatable.

I found myself rooting for the realistic characters and being disappointed in them when they made choices I didn't support- The only reason I did not rate this book higher is due to the fact that I am not entirely sure what the plot was. It was more of being plopped into someone's diary at various points of their life instead of having story with a point. Maybe that is the point? The mundane and the experience of having family that can let you down is the story-

I look forward to other works by Betsy Lerner.