This is a heartwarming story about mothers and daughters. The story is told from multiple perspectives. The characters are well developed. This is a coming of age story.

It's a well written book book featuring a cast of interesting and fleshed out characters. Unfortuantely I found the pace a bit too slow and it didn't keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I found this a little hard to get into as I didn’t particularly connect with the characters. I think it’s just a case of not being the right book for me or possibly just I’m not in the right mood for this one at the moment. However I did enjoy the nostalgic feel of this story and I’m think fans of this era and music will better connect with this book. It has an interesting take on family dynamics and conflicts and covers a lot of issues.

Unfortunatley I found this book hard to get into. It was a slow burn for me. The characters are hard to like and Vivian is obviously going through a lot of hardship but it bogged down the book for me. I skipped over the heavy religious overtones. I wanted to like it but I just couldn't do it.

Thank you for the opportunity to review

I was really excited to read On The Rooftop by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton as it had themes I enjoy reading about (music, mother-daughter relationships).

Unfortunately, I could not get passed the controlling and demeaning way Vivian, the mother, was with her daughters. This and the religious undertone that set every decision made in the book really pinched at my nerves and was triggering towards my past experiences, which resulted in me having huge reading breaks everytime it came time to read a chapter in Vivian's POV.

As a result, I have made the decision to not continue with this book at this time. I hope to pick it up again at a future date, when I am not in as vulnerable position as I am currently, because I was really excited to read it.

having liked Margaret Wilkerson Sexton's previous releases i was looking forward to this. sadly it lacked the focus and poignancy of her previous works as i felt somewhat at a remove from the sisters.

This was a book I had high hopes for. I’d heard a lot about it and it sounded like the sort of book I’d love, however it fell a bit short for me. I found the relationship between the mum and her daughters and the decisions she made for them made her quite unlikeable. I understand the book is about this conflict, between her dreams for them and their dreams for themselves. I just never fell in love with the book and found it all quite hard work.

This was a surprising smash hit for me. The nostalgia hits you right from page 1 and doesn't let you go until the very last word. Great read!!

From the moment I started reading, I got that fuzzy feeling you get when you just KNOW a book is for you. 'On The Rooftop' is simply wonderful. Margaret Wilkerson Sexton has conjured characters who feel like your best friends. The music mentioned throughout is superb and needs to be in a playlist,for listening whilst reading. For me, the activism in the book was an unexpected bonus. This is a book about family, duty and community. It's about hopes, dreams and finding what (and who) we need in life. I adored every minute of it. Highly recommend!

Sadly, I couldn't get into this one. I think it's a situation of the wrong book at the wrong time - it was a lot more literary and introspective than I was anticipating. I also found the characters rather difficult to connect to at the best of times. I do think there is an audience for this book but for the reading mood I'm currently in, it's not me.

On the Rooftop

Part of the Resse Witherspoon book club reads. Vivan is a dedicated mother to her children. I found this a really cute story which focuses on the dynamics of mother and children and their dedication to each other. Ruth and Vivan have a very open relationship and respect each other. Ruth, Esther and Chole are a singing group in the 1950s. All three sisters have different dreams and we see through each character's life from their point of view in this read. Vivian had big dreams of musical success for them, but they each had their ideas about what success meant to them. She's struggled since moving from the South to San Francisco, and even more so since her husband's death, but she's held it together in a changing and challenging 1950s town. This shifts a little as you learn things Vivian doesn't know, things that can't and won't stay hidden forever. There are some fantastic atmospherics as well as some fantastic lines.

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On the rooftop with thanks to Netgalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. This book is one for the music lovers and anybody who loves a good story especially involving sisters and the complex relationships . At times I felt I was there with the characters. The author way with words was something else. I finished this book in 24 hours