Blue Sisters is the kind of book that, depending on my mood, I will either detest or adore. Fortunately, this time around, it was the latter. Having given Coco Mellors’ debut a hard pass, I was weary of reading more by her, yet, the premise for Blue Sisters sounded a lot less insipid than the one for C&F. While certainly not flawless, Blue Sisters makes for a tender, if occasionally too sentimental, exploration of sisterhood, grief, and self-sabotage. It should definitely appeal to fans of the people-fucking-up genre (examples being films like: The Worst Person in the World, Passages, Return to Seoul, Frances Ha and series like The Bisexual) or readers who enjoy complex sibling dynamics (such as in Yolk, Sunset, Butter Honey Pig Bread, The Arsonists' City) or female-centered books like Writers & Lovers, We Play Ourselves, and Self-Portrait with Boy.

“Their family had always been good at hellos and goodbyes, moments ending even as they began. It was easy to love someone in the beginnings and endings; it was all the time in between that was so hard.”


The characters are messy and there is a lot of friction among the sisters, so yes, we get a lot of arguments. With the exception of perhaps one or two cases, these come across as very authentic, sometimes overwhelmingly so. Hurtful words are hurled, sometimes with the intention to hurt, sometimes not. Things escalate, but not always. Mellors’ approach to these scenes felt cinematic yet intimate, and I appreciated how she is able to convey the conflicting feelings of her characters. The sisters are often unable to escape the dynamics of their childhood, with Bonnie acting as a pacifier, Avery as the mother, and Lucky as the rebellious youngest one. Avery and Lucky are assholes a lot of the time, something the narrative knows and doesn’t shy away from. Yet that doesn’t make them any less rounded or sympathetic. While Mellors doesn’t use their loss or childhood to excuse their actions, she allows those things to inform our understanding of her characters. I found her very empathetic, and loved many of the reflections around love (be it sisterly or romantic), insecurity, loneliness, and grief.

“She was home, the only one she knew, not because she always lived in it, but because it always lived in her.”


Through alternating chapters, the novel follows three of the Blue sisters, Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky, a year after the death of the fourth sister, Nicky. At the beginning of the novel, the Blue sisters are in different parts of the globe, but they are all similarly not coping, if not downright freefalling. Bonnie, once a boxer, is now working as a bouncer in LA. She does find herself making her way back to NY, where she is forced to confront her grief, the shame over her last match, and the feelings she’s been long harboring for her former mentor, Pavel. Avery works as a lawyer in London where she is married to Chiti, an older woman who was once her therapist. Chiti wants a child but Avery isn’t ready, in fact, ever since Nicky’s death she has been withdrawing from her marriage. Chiti has noticed but mostly relies on therapyspeak to remind Avery that she too has lost Nicky (as if being reminded of that would help avery…). Avery finds escape in rigorously attending AA meetings. There she meets a younger man, a poet, and their attraction is mutual and has disastrous consequences for Avery’s marriage. Lucky is a model who has spent most of her adulthood in relishing a carefree partier lifestyle. But Nicky’s death has changed things, and now Lucky is not so much as partying because it’s fun, but because as a means of oblivion. After screwing up her latest gig in Paris, she travels to London. Her and Avery’s relationship is more frayed than ever and the two sisters end up driving a further wedge in their bond. Lucky sees Avery as sanctimonious, smothering, and a hypocrite, whereas Avery is exasperated by Lucky’s careless attitude to others and herself. Eventually the three sisters reunite in NY, but their reunion is far from smooth.

The prologue serves as a character introduction, one that, through the use of literary devices such as alliteration, succeeded in lending this tale of the Blue sisters the rhythms of a fairy tale. Despite the novel taking place over a fairly contained period of time, the characters have a lot of history with each other and a lot of personal baggage, yet, these forays into the past never weighed down the narrative, and if anything they made the characters more rounded. We come to understand why they act the way they do, the origin of some of their insecurities and anxieties, and why some of them try to escape their grief by avoiding what they once loved, sabotaging their relationships, and opting for self-destructive ‘coping mechanisms’. Bonnie is the more grounded of the sisters, and her arc is not a downward spiral, as it is for Avery or Lucky’s. Still, Bonnie feels responsible for Nicky’s death, and is unsure whether she can box like she used to. Avery has a tendency to shut out other people, something that makes her a hard character to get into. Yet, we can see how hard she has tried to make up for her parents, to look out for her sisters in all the ways they didn’t. She also believes that she was the one to have let down Nicky, but is not fully able to admit this, so she lets her hurt and guilt fester. She misdirects her anger towards Lucky, who is also as lost as she is.

I thought that the novel was very self-assured, and that for the most part, it sticks the landing. Sure, one could say that Mellors was trying to cram in too much into the novel. Take the Blue sisters jobs…they are giving ‘try out different careers with Barbie’ (lawyer, model, boxer). They are also too beautiful and not-like-other people at times (Avery and her tattoos…sure, cool aesthetics, but it didn’t seem in line with her character). Even their mother, a character whose presence is mostly relegated to the outskirts of the narrative is subjected to this beautification: “at the time, she had silky auburn hair down to her waist and a beautiful, tulip-shaped face”. While I understood Lucky being beautiful, and her having a troubled relationship with her beauty (she takes it for granted, especially when it comes to what she can get away with, for instance, her beauty glamorizes how unpleasant, rude, and selfish she can be; she is also burdened by it, with other people unwilling to truly see her, or becoming obsessed with her because of her looks, or thinking she is a dumb shallow blonde) when it came to the other characters…these descriptions weakened the novel. They were syrupy and somewhat affected.

Avery was the type of lesbian character that feels that has been written by a non lesbian, as in, the writer, in their attempts to avoid clichés about lesbians, ends up writing the straightest lesbian character ever. I did not understand why Avery is made into a lesbian character, given that the person she has an ‘affair’ with is a man…one thing is someone who is still for whatever internal or external reasons unable to identify and/or live as a lesbian, but Avery has been in a relationship with a woman for a long time, she describes herself as a lesbian who is interested in being with women…so why have her cheat with a man? A man she is insanely attracted to. It was a Choice™, one that seemed to me to exist only for dramatic effect (not only she cheats, but she cheats with a man!). Their sex scene also consolidated my perception of her as a very straight character. I just wish the author could have made her bi, queer, or pan. I also find the whole image of the (outwardly) strait-laced lesbian a bit of a bore, but thankfully Mellors does manage to make Avery into a flawed yet complex character. I didn’t like how the cheating plotline is handled,(view spoiler).
Lucky also skates close to being a bit of a cliché, but thankfully the narrative doesn’t romanticize her self-destructive ways. I did found that musician subplot very cheesy—it felt like something straight out of Hollywood—and I thought it was an unnecessary add-on. Similarly, the epilogue, despite the author's heartfelt acknowledgments, felt more corny than touching.

However, these aspects didn't significantly detract from my overall enjoyment of the novel. I still loved it (which just goes to show how good mellors can be). The characters and their dynamics were compelling, and I particularly admired Mellors' prose style and ability to establish atmosphere. Mellors also adeptly balanced action and introspection, ensuring that the story never felt either rushed or slow-paced. Additionally, I appreciated that certain elements remained unresolved, such as the sisters’ complex relationship with their mother, adding depth to the narrative.

I can definitely see myself re-reading this as I found it to be a captivating tale. It had dramatic moments and plenty of emotional beats. Evocative and thoughtful, Blue Sisters made for a compelling read, full of imperfect people and fraught relationships, all underscored by an undeniable heart. I think readers who are less averse to sentimentality than I am will likely adore it even more than I did. I look forward to Mellors' next novel, hoping that it will align more closely with the style and depth of Blue Sisters than C&F.

I'm grateful for this arc and (depending on my funds) will purchase a copy of my own once it is released.

"Blue Sisters" by Coco Mellors is a poignant and captivating tale of sisterhood, resilience, and redemption. The novel centers around the lives of the four Blue sisters - Avery, Bonnie, Lucky, and the late Nicky - each grappling with their own personal struggles and demons.

Avery, the eldest sister, appears to have it all together as a successful lawyer in London. However, she harbors a secret that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect facade. Bonnie, once a promising boxer, finds herself at a crossroads after a devastating defeat, working as a bouncer in LA. Lucky, the rebellious youngest sister, navigates the glamorous but tumultuous world of modeling in Paris, her carefree lifestyle catching up with her. The unexpected death of their beloved sister Nicky serves as a catalyst for Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky to confront their own challenges and come to terms with their grief.

When the sisters reunite in New York to stop the sale of their childhood home, they are forced to confront their pasts and lean on each other for support. Through their journey of reconciliation and healing, they rediscover the bonds of sisterhood and find the strength to confront their addictions, heartbreaks, and insecurities.

Mellors weaves a compelling narrative that delves into the complexities of family dynamics and the enduring power of sisterly love. The characters are richly drawn and relatable, each grappling with their own internal struggles and vulnerabilities. The author skillfully navigates themes of loss, addiction, and self-discovery with sensitivity and depth, creating a story that is both heart-wrenching and ultimately uplifting.

"Blue Sisters" is a poignant and emotionally resonant novel that will leave readers captivated from beginning to end. It serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of forgiveness, resilience, and the enduring bonds of family. Mellors' storytelling prowess shines through in this heartfelt exploration of sisterhood and the journey toward healing and redemption.

An enthralling journey awaits within the pages of this captivating fiction novel. With its intriguing plot and well-developed characters, readers will find themselves effortlessly drawn into a world brimming with mystery and suspense. The author’s prose is both eloquent and evocative, painting vivid scenes that linger in the mind long after the book is closed. A truly engrossing read that will leave readers pondering its intricacies and yearning for more. A must-read for fans of thought-provoking fiction.

Wow. This was very different to CLEOPATRA AND FRANKENSTEIN but still had the same Coco Mellors readability of her debut. This is a heart breaking story about the grip addiction can have and the way it is passed down in different ways to each family member. Anybody with siblings will identify with at least one of the Blue sisters and will find both comfort and pain following their journey through grief. I read this in three sittings, and could have finished in one if I had the time. My only comment would be that I wished it lasted longer! Very moving and I hope it will encourage readers to also 'go lightly' in life.

o b s e s s e d.
Coco Mellors can do no wrong, in my opinion and I already can’t wait for the re-read!!!!
Believe the hype, it’s going to be blue sisters summer!

Thank you, NetGalley and 4th Estate Books! I think this might be the first 5 stars that I've given to an ARC.

I read Coco Mellors' first novel and I liked it a lot. And boy, I was super excited to read her next novel. I wasn't sure what I expected, especially with a book that navigates the lives of four sisters. It was beautiful and sad. It deals with real family drama and sisterhood that will get you very emotional.

Mellors' words were beautiful and emotional. She has a way with them!! The book explores many complex themes about sisterhood, addiction, and romance. It also doesn't shy away from why each of the sisters has flaws of their own, and I though that was a very raw and transparent thing to write about.

I was delighted to get to read Coco Mellor’s second book Blue Sisters as I loved Cleopatra & Frankenstein so much. I would recommend this book to someone that likes a family drama with real characters that you get to love like your own. The story is set around three sisters grieving with a dysfunctional family background set in London and New York.. There is a lot of love in this story and complex character writing which CM is so attuned to. The sisters have real life problems and we work through each of them and their make up and break up with life and loves. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this eARC. Blue sisters is my first Coco Mellors (there are some things about her other novel that I tend to not enjoy in plots) so I was very excited to get to read her for the first time.

I really enjoyed it. I loved the writing and the povs and the sister dynamic. What I enjoyed the most was the variety of setting. I had assumed this would be a slow read but the variety made it super interesting and compulsive read.

The explorations of grief and family dynamics were done beautifully and I really can’t wait to read more from Mellors.

This is Coco Mellors second book and once again I have been blown away.

Coco has such a beautiful way with words. I honestly felt as though I was in the book with the sisters. I felt all their pain, anguish and happiness and really didn’t want it to end.

Avery, Bonnie and Lucky lost their sister, Nicky twelve long months ago. They have been distant with other each going back to their sides of the world, running away from each other and their grief. Things come to a head and they are all back in their childhood apartment in New York. Will they find each other and them selves again?

There are some really hard hitting themes and events in this book, drink, drugs, addiction and being out of control but it was written in such a way that I couldn’t help wanting to be a Blue sister and helping them through their grief. All three sisters had their flaws but also lots of good characteristics too and I wanted them all to reach a point of being able to live with themselves again and most importantly be happy and stop with the self destruction.

As an only child, I went into this book not expecting to relate to any part of this book and just enjoy it from a casual perspective but coco mellors is such a master at drawing out emotions you didn’t think existed inside of you until you’re a mess.

Blue sisters is a story that revolves around three sisters who are estranged, but now have to come together to deal with the aftermath of losing their 4th sister. With a premise like this you’re expecting tragedy, sadness, and grief but despite all these feelings, Blue Sisters also explored the beautiful complexity of sisterhood, the glittering atmosphere of Paris, London, New York and Los Angeles. Despite the gutwrenching plot, the characters were fully developed and there was warmth, and humour and fun still weaved into the story.

What I loved about cleopatra and Frankenstein was how relatable I found it, I didn’t think blue sisters would match up to it, but it blew me away with how easy it was to read. I felt the sisterly bond, I felt their grief and how they felt about Nicky. The ending made me sob, it was weirdly nostalgic and tender all at once and made me yearn for my own self, and how much I wanted siblings when I was growing up.

All in all, this is yet another classic from coco mellors and I am forever grateful for this early opportunity to read it. A huge thank you to netgalley, the publishers and coco for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Coco Mellors just knows how to write engaging characters. Cleo and Frank took me by surprise when I first read it and that’s what made me so keen to check out Blue Sisters. And I really enjoyed it! I flew through the first two thirds and was completely enamoured by each sister and the complexities of their family dynamic. I felt the end was maybe a touch saccharine sweet but I appreciated that Lucky’s story wasn’t tied up in a pretty bow making it feel more realistic. My only other request would be for it to be longer but that’s becuase I love long sweeping family saga books. Overall another great read from Mellors and she will be a go to author for me going forward.

I loved Cleopatra and Frankenstein so was thrilled when I saw Blue Sisters being advertised; then even more thrilled when I was granted early access to a copy! This is a seriously emotionally charged read that follows three sisters, Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky following the death of their fourth sister, Nicky. There are some REALLY heavy topics covered in this book ( grief, addiction, and mental health) however, they are dealt with sensitively.
Another really compelling and emotionally read by this talented writer! It’s simply wonderful !!!

Coco Mellors' writing continues to surprise me in the best ways possible, I was already in love with it from Cleopatra and Frankenstein, but this really solidified her as an auto-buy author for me. The way she writes about such heavy topics is gut-wrenching and beautifully on the spot every single time. Going through the grief processes of three sisters after losing their loved one and navigating the family dynamics, while all very complex subjects were handled extraordinarily well.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this. The relationships between the sisters felt very real and human. My only bugbear was that the ending felt a bit too neat, but I really liked it otherwise.

Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

Blue Sisters is a beautifully written story that follows three sisters as they navigate their lives a year after the death of their sister. It touches on lots of complex issues such as grief, addiction, familial relationships and love. I really enjoyed this character driven book and the development of the three sisters throughout. Their complex family dynamic and the love they share is well depicted. Coco Mellors does a brilliant job at bringing these very raw and real characters to life and also is brilliant at setting the scene with her descriptions of city life.
A really enjoyable read that I definitely recommend.

Coco Mellors did it again! Though the topics of this book are heavy (grief, addiction, depression, chronic illness) and not 'fun', I really enjoyed reading "Blue Sisters" and loved getting to know these young women. In joining the Blue sisters on their very different ways to find peace after losing one of their sisters, I think a lot of people will find something of themselves.

Blue Sisters, Coco Mellors

The highly anticipated second novel from the author of Cleopatra and Frankenstein. The Blue sisters, exceptional but falling to pieces since the death of Nicky, the middle sister, has cracked a line straight through them all.

From Paris, to London to face their demons in New York the Blue Sisters navigate addiction, grief and life in this beautifully layered novel.

Complex and rich the second outing from Mellors buries itself into the darkest corners of human nature. Painful, gripping and bitter Blue Sisters is every bit as stunning as Cleopatra and Frankenstein.

Blue Sisters is a poignant tale about sisterhood and grief and covers the aftermath of the unexpected death that brings three estranged sisters again. This is my first book by Coco Mellors and it won't be my last. As someone who has also recently lost two family members, this book definitely strikes a chord. Mellors does such a great job at tackling the topic of grief and addiction. How lost or out of depth one can feel after losing a loved one. Sisterhood is complex to say the least. I felt so many emotions while reading this, alternating between laughing and crying. We need more books about sisterhood!

Thank you to Netgalley and 4th Estate for my early copy!

I loved Cleopatra and Frankenstein and I knew I would love Blue Sisters too. Coco Mellors has the amazing ability of creating characters that feel so real, allowing her reader to develop a very intimate relationship with them and love them fiercely even though they are very flawed indeed. So many times have I wished I could hold my hand out and stroke them, hug them or comfort them. All the sisters, so different to each other, are strung together by the invisible thread of their childhood and dysfunctional relationship with their parents. They struggle to come to terms with the sudden loss of their sister and the alternating POVs allow us to experience how each one of them is impacted and processes that loss. I find Coco Mellors to write sad stories exquisitely and even though they are not easy to read, I've been left both times really thinking of the characters and the story. I genuinely loved this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.