Official Review: Sisterly by Jorja DuPont Oliva

[shannonkate8]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sisterly" by Jorja DuPont Oliva.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Sisterly by Jorja DuPont Oliva is a beautiful, touching story that calls to both the light and dark inside the human soul. Janie Edwards has a secret on the verge of coming out, breaking the life she made and the lives of those she loves. She leaves her life to return home, reunite with her sister and her husband, and reveal what drove her away before it catches up. During this, Janie takes a room in her old home town with Ms. Francis on the condition that Janie helps take care of the guests - ones she incorrectly assumed were real. While navigating her life with Ms. Francis, her duties to the “guests,” and attempts to reconcile with her sister, Janie questions her sanity, relationships, and her life.

The beginning of this book reeled me in and the author kept me until the end of the story. How can you not be intrigued when a book starts with a visit to a counselor? Janie’s visit with her therapist reveals a pregnancy, a secret, and broken family ties. Yet, there is more, which leads her on a journey back home. This initial visit opens the reader to so many possibilities and directions in which the story can go. It made me want to read more.

The story itself is also unique as the author winds together our world with the supernatural. While many authors can achieve this idea, this book’s story is different than many I have read and made me want to continue. There were so many twists and turns that I didn’t know what to do!

Unfortunately, I did find some grammatical errors throughout the book. However, they were not prominent and could easily be eliminated with a proofread. As the errors were minimal and so spaced out in the book, they did not detract majorly from the story.

One potential negative of the book is the way the author phrased some descriptions of people. For example, Ms. Francis is an African American woman, however, the author describes her as a “colored woman.” Additionally, there is a mentally handicapped boy who also lives with Ms. Frances that the author describes as a “disabled teen.” These were not grave deterrents for me to turn away from the book, however, for someone of a different constitution, it may bother them. In my view, the main character is a fifty-year-old woman who grew up where those statements were common, so it is simply the way the character is. However, each reader may have their own judgment.

Overall, given the limited number of mistakes and the story itself, I have to give the book 4 out of 4 stars. I wanted to read the book and wanted to continue reading once I started. There were a few moments where I felt the author rushed or a piece of the story could be further developed, but I couldn’t find anything lacking. As such, I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a quick mystery read. This would also be a good read for those interested in family drama and the paranormal.

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Sisterly
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[NetMassimo]

This seems an intriguing paranormal thriller in which the protagonists ahave to deal with old secrets. Thank you for your interesting review!

[shannonkate8]

This seems an intriguing paranormal thriller in which the protagonists ahave to deal with old secrets. Thank you for your interesting review!

It was a great book! Definitely a thriller with lots of twists and turns. I didn't even guess the big reveal but it was a shocker.