Gosh, this book had me bawling. I haven't read a book that made me cry this much in a while. I read it all last night, started around 8:30 and finished around midnight, it was a really good book!
A Sister’s Promise - Quick Synopsis:
Sisters Laura and Penny were once close, bonded together after the early death of their mother. Laura always had her younger sister’s back until one day everything changed and Penny disappeared.
Twenty years later Laura finds herself alone and at a crossroad in her life; questioning her marriage and her future.
Meanwhile Penny has spent her whole life running away from her problems until one day she is forced to stop and face the shocking truth.
When Penny turns up on Laura’s doorstep late one stormy night, holding the hand of a shivering little girl, Laura is immediately suspicious of her sister’s motives. Just what does Penny want and who is this little girl?
Penny carries a devastating secret that will test their bond as sisters and is forced to make an impossible choice.
Can the sisters find it within their hearts to forgive and unite before it’s too late?
Penny is given a devastating cancer diagnosis and has to figure out how to take care of herself and her 4 year old daughter Willow with no friends or family living near her in Australia. She hasn't been home to Ireland in over 20 years and she left on not great terms with her sister and father. When she shows up on her sister's doorstep in the middle of a rain storm, she has no idea just how much she needed to come home.
The narration alternates between Laura and Penny's POVs and leaves very little for the reader to be unclear about. Both sisters have complex histories and storylines, but they are unraveled slowly and in a way that was neither predictable nor abrupt. I love how Finnerty was able to to tie in so many ideas and problems including: teen (actually 20 year old) pregnancy, domestic violence, loss of a parent at a young age, grief, infidelity, addiction vs sobriety, miscarriage, cancer, and much more. That being said, the story was actually quite light and easy to read until the last few chapters. Without spoiling anything too important to the story, grief and loss are a major part of the book, especially near the end, but the love of family and the importance of second chances are also messages shared throughout the story and especially near the end. I found many parallels between the loss of my mother and some of the experiences Penny and Laura described in the story, which was what made it so emotional for me to read, but I am so glad I did.
Early to mid-way through the story I did find some repetitiveness, especially during the switch over between the two POVs. Sometimes Laura would describe what happened in the previous chapter that was told from Penny's perspective, and there was just more info than I needed, but other than that it was super well written and I was able to get past that repetitiveness pretty early on. Additionally, I often read books all in one go, so the bit of repetition might have been good for someone who reads a chapter a day! Other than that it was super well written and I really enjoyed it (even though it made me cry). I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading books that touch on some sensitive family topics and have powerful messages of love and letting go of the past. It was a quick read and one I couldn't put down!
Thanks to Rachel and Boldwood Books for giving me the chance to read and review this touching story! I love being part of Boldwood Blog Tours and can't wait to look back and see what everyone else thought of the book.
Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3As5tIr
Author Bio –
Caroline Finnerty is an Irish author of heart-wrenching family dramas and has compiled a non-fiction charity anthology. She has been shortlisted for several short-story awards and lives in County Kildare with her husband and four young children.
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