This emotion-wrought story about sisters and the navigation of shared grief resonated deeply with me. Multilayered, sagacious and delicately swaddled in the most exquisite prose, it is raw and unflinchingly honest, but at the same time imbued with a heart-piercing tenderness that leaves a lingering, haunting presence.

Avery, Bonnie and Lucky are the Blue sisters. They used to be four but are now three following the death of sibling Nicky twelve months ago. Raised in a dysfunctional family with an alcoholic father and neglectful mother, they have long since gone their separate ways, connected only by the slenderest of threads.

Former heroine addict Avery is now a successful lawyer, living with her wife in London. Bonnie works as a nightclub bouncer in LA, a shadow of the champion boxer she once was. And baby of the family, Lucky, has just seen her international modeling career go up in smoke thanks to alcohol and drug abuse.

Following individual life crises around the anniversary of Nicky’s death and the announcement by their mother of her intention to sell the family apartment in New York, the siblings find themselves reluctantly reunited there to sort through their sister’s belongings.

The story unfolds through the alternating perspectives of Avery, Bonnie and Lucky, including flashbacks to their unconventional childhood and separate journeys into adulthood. We learn of their shifting dynamics, especially after Nicky’s death, and their struggle to cope — separately rather than together — with their loss.

We see the siblings work their way back to each other, through fights, tears and recriminations, as guilt and grief are acknowledged and rise to the surface.

There are some crushing, heart-wrenching scenes, evoked by Mellors with a shrewd, devastating precision. The poignant eulogy delivered by the sisters’ father at Nicky’s funeral pierces like a dagger.

At its very heart, Blue Sisters is a story about empty spaces, the yawning physical and emotional gulfs caused by grief and other traumas; and the bridge that is blood, the shared ties that bind, however stretched they become.

It is a masterful piece of writing and one that will live with me for a very long time.

I genuinely have no words for how phenomenal this book is.

this book explores sisterhood and grief with such an sharp intricacy. The characters in this book felt like real people. I genuinely loved every single second of this book. Coco you've done it again!! What a beautiful story with such incredible writing.

This was a very enjoyable and engrossing read about family dynamics and grief. The Blue refers to the sisters' surname but also the fact that they have lost a sibling and are spiralling. The remaining three are all very different, Avery the hot shot lawyer with clear views on motherhood, Bonnie the boxer with a secret penchant for religion and Lucky the drug addled model. The father never materialises but looms in the background as a constant threat and the mother has her own problems going on.
I usually steer clear of books on grief but this was done well and the interfamilial power plays were exploratory and interesting to watch as they unfolded.

„Blue Sisters“ erzählt die Geschichte von drei entfremdeten Schwestern, die nach dem Tod ihrer Schwester versuchen, ihre komplexen Beziehungen und ihr Privatleben zu meistern.
Obwohl „Blue Sisters“ thematisch sehr umfangreich ist, ist es doch eine etwas „spaßige“ Lektüre, da es zwischen den Städten Paris, London, New York und L.A. hin- und herwechselt und Sie an einen neuen Ort entführt, während jede Schwester verzweifelt versucht, ein Gefühl von Heimat zu finden erneut nach dem Tod ihrer Schwester.
Coco Mellors scheut sich nicht, über die schwierigen Aspekte des Lebens zu sprechen und die Trauer zu erforschen und wie sie sich bei jedem Menschen unterschiedlich manifestiert, insbesondere durch die unterschiedlichen Bewältigungsmechanismen jeder Schwester. Der Roman konzentriert sich auch weitgehend auf Sucht und die Entschlossenheit, den Suchtkreislauf innerhalb einer Familie zu durchbrechen.
Blue Sisters hat viel Herz und emotionale Zärtlichkeit und versteht sich mit jedem, der Schwestern hat (ich habe auch drei, daher war die Vertrautheit für mich hoch). Es geht darum, loszulassen, weiterzumachen und zu lernen, wieder zu leben.

Blue Sisters was by far my most anticipated book of 2024 and it exceeded all expectations! Without a doubt my favourite book of the year so far and it will take a lot for anything to come close!

I was a big fan of Cleopatra and Frankenstein when I read it about two years ago but I had completely forgotten how much I loved Coco Mellors writing style and I actually think it’s become even stronger in Blue Sisters.

A lot of reviews describe the novel as a gritty modern day Little Women and I completely agree with this interpretation. I don’t personally have any sisters but the depiction of Avery, Bonnie, Lucky and Nicky made it hard not to relate to their relationships in some shape or form and I loved how the characterisations were so raw and honest.

Often I find novels which switch between characters leave me wanting more focus on one or two of the characters than the rest but I was so invested in each of the sisters and could easily have read a full book per sister!

So excited for whatever comes next from Coco Mellors!

The Blue sisters all lead very different lives and even live in different countries but they’re united by grief for their sister Nicky, which I found totally understandable and very emotional, and also by an unwillingness to let their parents sell the flat they all grew up in, which I found harder to rationalise. The writing in Mellors’ second novel is beautiful, and I think I connected with the characters a lot more than I did with Cleopatra and Frankenstein, but Blue Sisters is by no means perfect, with Avery and Lucky’s stories both feeling a little bit heavy handed to me.

I enjoyed Cleopatra and Frankenstein (admittedly far more than I thought I would!), but LOVED Blue Sisters. I’m not sure if I can put into words why I loved it so much, but I think Coco Mellors writes in such a compelling and readable way, drawing the reader into the interiority of the characters. Someone mentioned this is a book with hope, and I think that’s not always the case in books like this. It’s nice when characters we follow end up happy!

I thought this pretty well written. I liked the emotional themes explored and some of the moments were an emotional gut punch.

I love a book about sisters. Little Women, The Virgin Suicides, The Most Fun We Ever Had, Hello Beautiful - they're up there with some of my favourite books.

Blue Sisters follows the exceptionally different Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky, a year after the unexpected death of their sister Nicky. We learn about each Blue as the chapters change. Avery is a straight-laced lawyer living in London with her wife, hiding a secret that could unravel her perfect life. Bonnie is a talented boxer, but a devastating defeat resulted in her fleeing New York to become a bouncer in LA. Lucky is a rebellious, hard partying model in Paris, who is about to crash and burn.

The three of them reunite in New York to stop the sale of their childhood home, and they realise that in order to fall in love with life again, they may need each other more than they thought.

I really loved the writing in this book, and the character development was excellent. Blue Sisters is a compelling and tender story about grief and heartache, but also about addiction and sobriety, and how they are passed down through generations. I really like how Mellors explored the different roles people play within their families, and how people self-destruct to deal with pain.

A beautiful book; one I would recommend to fans of Hello Beautiful and The Royal Tenenbaums.

I loved the Cleopatra and Frankenstein so I was really excited to read this, and it didn't disappoint.

In a story with multiple main characters, I often find myself favouring one character's chapters over another, but with this I devoured each character's chapters equally. But that wasn't because I loved all of the sisters – they were actually all fairly unlikeable, as they were in Coco Mellor's debut – it's because they felt realistic and three dimensional. It was fascinating getting their different perspectives on the same issues and their relationships with each other. The author brilliantly portrays how everyone is the main character of their own lives, and views and absorbs the world in different ways, but these sisters must learn to see things from each other's points of view – and will forever be bound by their grief.

Though it touches on difficult, serious topics (grief/loss/addiction), they're approached in a really accessible way – I did read this on holiday and it didn't feel too heavy!

Only cons for me would be that the chapters were a little too long, and some of the descriptions of London – Avery's life there and Lucky's partying there – felt a little stereotypical, or aimed towards an American audience. But still 5 stars from me.

Just brilliant. A beautiful story about the highs and lows of sisterhood, friendship and everything that entails. Brilliantly and instantly gripping

Beautifully written with characters that are so real
The book is very much about grief and addiction and what it can do to a family dynamic - they all dealt with their grief differently
A fabulous summer read but make sure you have tissues
Thanks @cocomellors @4thestatebooks @netgalley for the fabulous read

This felt a lot more rounded than Coco Mellors' debut novel while recycling most of the themes discussed in Cleopatra and Frankenstein: substance abuse, love, and (re-)discovering your identity after loss. You have to admire Mellors for her ability to create characters that feel real from the very first sentence, as if you'd known them all along. Despite being an only child myself, I found the sisters' relationship incredibly touching und almost equally liked them, which is rare for multiple-POV novels – if it hadn't been for Avery whose story arc lacked the subtlety which made the others' stories so special. Nonetheless: a beautiful novel about love between siblings, loss, and the knowledge that you can start again any time you want. Would highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. Blue Sisters" by Coco Mellors follows the complex and tumultuous lives of a set of sisters, each grappling with their own set of challenges. Unfortunately, this book didn't quite resonate with me.

While the premise had potential, the execution left much to be desired. The story leans heavily into themes of addiction and self-destruction, overshadowing what could have been a poignant exploration of grief and familial bonds. Instead of evoking sympathy, the characters' relentless downward spirals felt more exhausting than engaging.

Each sister seems determined to ruin her life in her own unique way, and this relentless focus on their negative actions made it difficult for me to connect with or care about their journeys.

I have this authors other book which I’ve not yet read and it’s been sitting in my kindle for a while. After reading this I will definitely be bumping it up my to read list. Beautifully written

This book caught my attention immediately. The cover is absolutely beautiful, just like, ‘Cleopatra and Frankenstein’s,’ and I was so eager to get my hands on a copy of this book. I could feel it would be a book that I would love to immerse myself in and it did not disappoint!

It’s filled with angst, pain and raw emotion. The characters are spiralling in a world of their grief and independent hurts and are immensely struggling to keep themselves on a good path, not wanting to share their troubles and determined to keep fighting for their own survival.

It subtly shares the cracks within the relationships between the parents and children, suggesting the potentials for the sister’s life choices and situations, which holds a true reflection of potential outcomes in reality.

This story is scattered with tender moments, sprinkled with the beauty of hope and a wanting for healing, that leaves you rooting for the sisters. It is wonderfully written, with great character development.

I give this book 4.5 stars.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and all involved in allowing me an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

Blue Sisters is the first book by Coco Mellors that I have read, and it is safe to say that I will be picking up Cleopatra and Frankenstein at some point soon. Mellors’ dive into the life of three sisters — Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky — as they navigate their way through crises and grief after the death of their sister Nicky, is poignant and melodic. Mellors jumps between each sister smoothly yet distinctively, and I found myself welling up at various points throughout the book. Each location and moment is concocted with detail, which paints a vivid picture of both the sisters and also the cities in which they live.
Thank you so much to 4th Estate for this reading copy! 3.5/5

This is a really beautifully-written and thoughtful novel exploring the relationship between sisters and the impact of grief. Each of the main characters are relatable in one way or another, and I found myself genuinely concerned at the thought of their unravelling over their grief. Although the book deals with heavy subjects - grief, addiction, growing up, parental issues - it’s done so in such a thoughtful and reflective way. This is the first novel I’ve read by Coco Mellors and I’ll definitely been seeking out her other work!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for a review!

Each of the Blue sisters tell her story as time progresses from the death of Nickey. Difficult to have a huge amount of empathy with any of them

This book made me ache for the absence of sisters. As someone who grew up with an older brother and mostly boys and men around me, reading about these women coming together after a traumatic loss made me yearn for the powerful bond that is sisterhood. Coco Mellors captures girlhood, the complexities of family in such beautiful, visceral ways. The way she writes about realising that your parents are not only parents but people and that they have their own individuality really hit me. A lot on grief, addiction, fighting (literally and metaphorically) and love.
Highly recommend! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC :)