Blue Sisters - Coco Mellors

Three very different sisters—still grieving the loss of their fourth—are forced back together to save their childhood home, and in doing so confront grief, secrets, and the chaos of their separate lives. Their reunion becomes the catalyst that helps them rebuild themselves and rediscover connection.

As a sister myself, this novel is held very close to my heart. It was breathtaking from the very beginning with its opening sentence, “A sister is not a friend.” In fact, the entire opening paragraph grabbed my heart and caught my undivided attention like no novel has done before. The complexity of the sisters’ lives astonished me, and their delicate yet strong relationships with each other plucked at my heartstrings as certain feelings and events between the three of them unfolded. Not only did I find their bonds relatable, but the conflict within their intertwined lives was incredibly compelling.

I’m a massive fan of domestic and urban fiction, and family sagas—one of my favourite books is Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, after all—and Coco Mellors’ attempt at this genre was mind‑blowing. I will forever hype this book up and recommend it to all the girls out there who have a sister or sisters, because this is a novel that should be treasured and read with care. A close friend once told me she felt she could eat certain books, they were that good. And it wasn’t until I read this, after she said that, that I truly understood what she meant.

I felt this story in my bones; it was that powerful and genuinely exhilarating. I just wanted to consume it—not only with my eyes and mind, but I wanted to eat it and have it live in me, because the words on every page hit harder than the one before. Mellors has such a beautifully illustrative way of describing everything that I’m a little jealous of all her metaphors, similes, idioms, analogies, and the different ways she uses objects or ideas to represent deeper meanings. It was a truly inspiring read, and I hope every single person who picks it up finds those same aspects just as striking as I did.

Mellors’ Blue Sisters is a five‑star novel and you can disagree with that all you want, but don’t dismiss it until you try it. I didn’t find a single fault as I read, and because every page felt like perfection to me, attempting to put this novel down for the night was like trying to remove a limb. I got attached very quickly and was saddened every time I had to set it aside because I didn’t want any of the sisters’ journeys to end. And though I felt this way throughout, the ending was satisfying and didn’t leave me wanting more. If you’re a bookworm and you’ve experienced the pain of needing to know more but were being told this is the end forever, then you’ll know how rare and delightful that is. It’s disappointing otherwise; like ordering a cup of coffee only to take the lid off and see it’s half full. A story that starts in the right place and finishes in the right place is a story definitely worth reading.

So if you want a story that’s unpredictable, humorous at times, and ready to take you through a storm of emotions, then Blue Sisters is for you. It’s the kind of book that confirms ones love for reading, and if you don’t enjoy reading, or simply don’t read, I hope this book gets you in the mood and inspires you to pick up more. Even if it’s not your jam, Mellors’ other novel Cleopatra and Frankenstein might be. I can’t vouch for it as I’ve never read it, but if it’s written anything like this one, it’s probably an absolute banger too. Or maybe other novels in this genre will tickle your fancy, who knows? But one things for sure, you’ll never know unless you try.

Buy your copy of the book here:

https://amzn.eu/d/7e2DN5c