At first I was swept into this story of four sisters - loved the opening chapters and the writing. One of the sisters died a year ago and the other three are processing this devastating loss in different ways. But the story became one of addiction rather than one of grief and the sister relationship so it wasn't the book I hoped for so ultimately not for me.

Plot
In this poignant novel, the three Blue sisters are returning home to stop the sale of their family’s NYC apartment a year after their fourth sister, Nicky, dies unexpectedly. Normally scattered across the world, when they are forced to live under one roof, they face just how much each of them has spiraled since Nicky’s death.

Avery, the eldest and a recovering alcoholic, is typically the mom of the bunch. But she’s been sabotaging her relationship with her wife to avoid facing the harder truths of her marriage. Lucky, who struggles to do anything without a drink, has recently been dropped by her modeling agency after ruining a Parisian runway show. Bonnie, is adrift in LA working as a bouncer after a failed run at becoming a boxing champion.

Each sister is struggling with her own demons but together, they might just be able to overcome the loss of Nicky and get their lives back on track.

Trigger Warning
Alcoholism, Addiction

Why Kirsten loves it
This character-driven story focuses on grief and finding your way after a devastating loss. But it also looks at the cycle of addiction and the role our families play in that cycle. This is a meaty story that is filled with discussion points for a book club, but be aware of the trigger warnings. #gifted by Penguin Random House.

I LOVED this! I'm not a huge fan of lit fic typically, but was completely absorbed in this book. The character study of sisterhood, grief, and addiction on each of the sisters was magnificent. It totally nails the dichotomy of love being siblings, you are both your best and worst self around the people you love unconditionally. I will be thinking about this one for a long time. Highly recommend.

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors is a beautiful, haunting portrayal of grief, addiction, and the complicated bonds between sisters. Mellors’ writing is gorgeous, with a meticulous attention to detail that makes every scene feel vivid and alive. Her ability to capture raw emotions feels real and unflinching, refusing to shy away from the messy parts of life.

The relationship between the sisters is at the heart of the novel, depicted with honesty and nuance. Their struggles, both shared and individual, are deeply relatable, making their journey as powerful as it is painful. The dialogue is so believable that you feel like you’re right there with them, experiencing every argument, every confession, and every moment of reconciliation.

Mellors doesn't just write about grief and addiction—she immerses you in it, giving you a story that feels honest and true to the complexities of these themes. It's a deeply moving, beautifully crafted novel that lingers long after the final page.

It’s been a year since Nicky Blue passed away and the rest of the Blue sister’s lives were forever changed. In Blue Sisters, Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky Blue navigate a world without their beloved sister as they each deal with their grief in different ways.

I loved all of the Blue sisters and my heart broke for them as they worked through their grief and the private battles they were going through in their lives. The characters were all unique and fleshed out, and the author really captured the complicated relationship between sisters. I loved the way the story was told, jumping from Avery to Bonnie to Lucky and back again. We also see fragments of their lives in flashbacks, so we do get to know Nicky through her sister’s memories.

I took my time reading this one because I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the Blues. This is one of my favorite reads of 2024 and it will stay with me for a long time. I’ll definitely be moving Mellor’s debut Cleopatra and Frankenstein up on my (endless) TBR list.

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for a review copy. All of the stars for Blue Sisters.

Blue Sisters was my first read by Coco Mellors and I was excited to dive into an author who gets a lot of praise from readers. However, while I enjoyed this book's writing quality and could appreciate the story that was told, it fell a bit flat for me.

Despite the amount of drama that was happening surrounding each of the sisters, I found myself getting bored at the repetitive nature of what we were reading. It seemed as if we were being told the same story over and over again and didn't leave room for much character growth until the very end. I would have liked to have seen more action and plot propulsion earlier on in the book to keep me interested in finishing the story.

I also felt like all of the characters had major issues with self awareness. Maybe this was the point and they needed to be able to call one another out in order to have a better sense of perspective, but it made reading about them feel shallow and vapid.

That said, I did really enjoy the epilogue. I thought it was an extremely cute way to wrap up the story.

Overall, I liked this book, but did not love it.

Blue Sisters is a heart-wrenching story of four sisters who, throughout their lives, lean on each other to navigate the constant darkness they face. Each sister grapples with challenges like self-doubt, addiction, and lifelong pain, and though their journeys are told separately, they are brought back together for the emotional sale of their childhood home—the very place where they tragically discovered one sister dead.

Get your tissues ready because this one is a heartbreaker! Mellors beautifully captures the power of sisterhood and resilience, making this story as touching as it is haunting. A true four-star read that delves into the complexities of familial bonds and personal struggles.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advanced copy!

Coco is a master storyteller. She so beautifully, delicately, and purposefully builds characters. I was excited to read Blue Sisters after having loved Cleo and Frank. Coco mastered the balance between sharing the sisters’ inner worlds and their interactions with each other and the world.

This is a story about love, family, adversity, and sisterhood as well as addiction. It presents the possibility that addiction can take different forms for different reasons. There are also LGBTQ themes and the story outlines how complicated relationships can be in general.

Great character development! I felt like I’d formed a relationship with each sister and experienced their grief through each of their lenses.

This story was very relatable for me as I grew up with similar dynamics in my family. Therefore, it was triggering for me at parts. I don’t know if this comes with a trigger warning in its finished form, but that should be considered. Truly it should be considered in all bills with themes of trauma, abuse, addiction, and family discord.

The ending is beautiful as well and tied everything up nearly. I enjoyed this story, but it didn’t really have me hanging on every word, nor was it hard to put down. The middle became slow and I nearly DNF ed it, but kept going.

Coco Mellors’ Blue Sisters is a beautifully written, emotionally resonant novel that masterfully explores the complexities of grief, family, and self-discovery. With its vividly drawn characters and delicate balance of humor and heart, it’s no surprise this book became a Read with Jenna pick. Mellors delivers a layered, poignant narrative that kept me hooked from start to finish—an easy 4.5-star read.

The three surviving Blue sisters—Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky—are all remarkable in their own right, yet their lives couldn’t be more different. Mellors skillfully contrasts their personalities and experiences, creating a fascinating character study that touches on themes of addiction, ambition, and the often messy journey toward healing. The characters are fully fleshed out and multidimensional, with Avery embodying discipline as a recovering addict and lawyer, Bonnie channeling her physicality into her post-boxing career, and Lucky careening through her modeling life in Paris while trying to outrun her wild ways.

At the core of the novel is the shadow of their fourth sister, Nicky, whose untimely death haunts them all. Nicky’s loss acts as both a catalyst and a backdrop for the story, threading the sisters' individual narratives together as they navigate their grief. Their return to New York to stop the sale of their childhood apartment forces them to confront not only their memories of Nicky but also the unresolved traumas and secrets that have shaped their lives.

Mellors excels at depicting the nuanced relationships between the sisters, each grappling with their own demons while struggling to reconnect. The friction between them feels raw and authentic, with moments of tenderness balanced by unflinching honesty. The family dynamics—particularly the way they communicate and miscommunicate—are relatable and emotionally charged, making the novel a powerful meditation on the lasting impact of loss and the complexity of sibling relationships.

What makes Blue Sisters particularly special is Mellors’ ability to weave humor into the narrative without undermining its emotional weight. The humor is sharp and often self-deprecating, providing much-needed levity amid the novel’s heavier themes. This balance of light and dark makes the book not only deeply affecting but also enjoyable to read.

The setting of New York, with its nostalgic weight and significance for the sisters, adds depth to the story. The city acts as a character in its own right, a place filled with memories of both their upbringing and Nicky’s presence, creating a backdrop of bittersweet familiarity. Their return to their childhood apartment symbolizes a return to the past, forcing them to reconcile with who they were and who they’ve become.

Mellors doesn’t shy away from tackling tough topics like addiction, trauma, and identity, but she handles them with sensitivity and grace. Each sister’s journey toward self-acceptance feels earned and authentic, with the book gradually revealing the greatest secrets they’ve been keeping—from themselves as much as from each other.

If there’s any minor critique, it’s that some of the side characters—particularly the romantic partners of the sisters—could have been developed more fully. While the focus rightly remains on the sisters, a bit more depth in these relationships might have added additional layers to the story.

Final Thoughts:
Blue Sisters is a masterful, emotionally rich novel that captures the essence of family, loss, and the path to self-discovery. Coco Mellors’ deft storytelling and complex characterizations make this a deeply moving read, filled with both heartache and hope. With its perfect blend of humor, heart, and insight, Blue Sisters is a 4.5-star read that will stay with readers long after they turn the last page. Fans of character-driven stories about sisterhood and healing will find much to love in this standout novel.

I really loved the writing of this book and being from a family of four girls this really hit home! I love my sisters and this just really built upon the importance of those relationships.

Coco Mellors must have sisters, because she's able to capture the relationships incredibly well. I'm one of three sisters and our relationships are all vastly different depending on the day, the month, the year, the mix, and when we're all together, we all default to our roles from when we were children. Lucky, Bonnie, and Avery all do that. Their relationships are all different depending on who they're with and why and how and when they're together, they assume the role in the family rather than who they are as adult women. It's wonderfully done.

I was not aware that this book was as much about addiction and its various forms as it was about sisters and their relationships. I get tired of reading about people's benders and self-destructive behaviors, but I understand it was a means to an end. The Blue family's addiction issues are a massive part of the story and how they all deal with it is really interesting. Mellors does a great job showing the reader how people manage and deal with their addictions.

I thought Blue Sisters was a very solid book and I really enjoyed reading it.

Blue Sisters was one of my most anticipated reads for this year. Imagine my surprise when I got approved for an eARC on NetGalley of it only to win a physical ARC of it from a Goodreads giveaway a few weeks later (like who knew people actually won those) !!!!!!

This book follows 3 sisters after the 1 year anniversary of the loss of their sister, Nicky - a kindhearted school teacher. Lucky is the baby of the family, a model in Paris with demons she does not want to face. Bonnie is a former champion boxer who ran away to Los Angeles from life in the boxing ring after Nicky’s death. Avery is the oldest daughter whose life is perfect on paper, but is crumbling beneath the surface.

It’s a little tricky when books are hyped up this much because there is a very good chance they fall somewhat flat. But I am very happy to say that this was the beautifully written literary fiction book with complicated characters I wanted it to be.

Shortly before I read this book, I read Little Women - obviously, another story about sisterhood. I liked drawing parallels between the two stories (intentional or not, I don’t know) - for example, Nicky reminded me of Beth and Lucky reminded me of Amy.

Because of Little Women, I’ve been thinking a lot about sisterhood lately - I have a little brother and know that our relationship is not comparable to sisters. But I’ve also been thinking about sisters I know in real life and how I see the world differently than they do. This book was a beautiful portrayal of these dynamics I don’t have firsthand experience with.

However, this book was also about more than sisterhood—it was also about grief, family dynamics, addiction, love, and most of all, hope. Even if you don’t have a sister, I am sure you will see yourself in at least one sister (if not all, like me!).

Anyways, all of this to say that I really really enjoyed this book 💙🦋

Blue Sisters is a story of four sisters full of grief, forgiveness, and addiction... with a glimmer of hope. It's very readable despite the dark subject matter.
Now, I have been known to love a character driven, heart-wrenching family tale but I'm left with mixed feelings at the end of this. I can't quite pin down my thoughts because it left me wanting just a bit "more" of something - backstory, maybe?
I still cried.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC!

I'll be the first to say, I did not like Coco Mellors' debut novel Cleopatra and Frankenstein and debated if I even wanted to read this. This book is STUNNING. With each perspective you can feel yourself in each sister's life. With each major mistake, you understand and sympathize. The flow of addiction, family trauma, and just life through each sister's eyes is so telling of how we could all follow the same path yet somehow end up somewhere different. My favorite of 2024 so far. Thank you to net galley and the publisher for the ARC!

i didn't like this one bit, i'm so sorry. It was full of clichés and very lesbophobic...?. What happened in the author's head? I don't like writing bad reviews so i'm gonna let that one go. Again, so sorry.

Coco Mellors’ Blue Sisters is a compelling and emotionally rich novel that explores family, loss, and self-discovery. The story follows the three Blue sisters—Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky—who reunite in New York to deal with the sale of their childhood home after the death of their fourth sister, Nicky.
Mellors excels in creating distinct, flawed characters: Avery is a recovering addict and lawyer in London, Bonnie is a former boxer struggling with defeat in Los Angeles, and Lucky is a Parisian model trying to escape her tumultuous past. Their return to their old home brings long-buried secrets and unresolved tensions to the surface, and Mellors handles these revelations with sensitivity and skill. The novel’s strength lies in its balance of humor and emotional depth. Mellors manages to infuse moments of levity into a narrative about grief and healing, making the story both touching and uplifting. While the pacing can occasionally slow during introspective passages, the richly developed characters and heartfelt storytelling more than makeup for it. Blue Sisters is a poignant exploration of familial bonds and personal redemption, blending humor with deep emotional insights. It’s a standout read that earns a solid four-and-a-half stars.

What happens when three sisters must confront their grief over the loss of their beloved fourth sister, the one who brought out the best in each of them? Blue Sisters explores how each sister has been faring (not well!) and delves into how shared history and trauma shapes a family, specifically sisters.

This book was much grittier than I usually enjoy and included lots of destructive behavior from the main characters (drug use, sex, etc.). However, I loved these flawed characters (especially Bonnie!) and felt their sister bond so deeply. Each character felt distinct and well-crafted. New York City also felt like a side character which added to my enjoyment and the audiobook narrator’s accent was another bonus for me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy!

This book was just SO slow. I can understand why people are grabbing this book off the shelf, the cover is interesting , and the overall premise is giving 21st century little women but still!

The POV from each of the sisters was unique and I liked the bond that held them all together was some form of addiction. It showed a family that was fractured and touched by real life when I find a lot of books cannot capture the rawness of sisterhood like Blue Sisters truly did & that was this novels saving grace.

The three remaining Blue sisters certainly have many problems following the death of their sister, Nicky. The author did a great job of character development with the sisters having some typical birth order personalities. As the oldest, Avery is an over achiever and keeps her flaws hidden. Bonnie is the quiet, almost invisible middle child who doesn’t voice her desires in spite of her semi-fame as a boxer. And Lucky is the flamboyant acting out and irresponsible youngest. Nicky was seemingly the most stable sister but only on the surface. Although, the book was a little slow at times, I did enjoy the great character development and the way the author was able to portray the many different ways that the characters expressed their grief. It was nice to see how they were able to eventually support each other in spite of their struggles and the poor parenting that they received. The author had a real knack of making the reader feel all the emotions that the sisters were feeling. The ending was good but realistically alluded to the sisters having ongoing issues.