Coco Mellors Blue Sisters Book Review
It feels like I’ve been waiting all year to read this book, and I’m so glad that I finally got the chance to check out Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors. What I expected was a book about four sisters. But what I got was so much more. Blue Sisters is a beautiful and touching story about grief and the complex relationships between people who grew up together. I’m excited to share my Blue Sisters book review here today. It’s a book that I really enjoyed and I know the story and the characters will stay with my for a long time.
What is Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors About?
The three Blue sisters are exceptional—and exceptionally different. Avery, the eldest and a recovering heroin addict turned strait-laced lawyer, lives with her wife in London; Bonnie, a former boxer, works as a bouncer in Los Angeles following a devastating defeat; and Lucky, the youngest, models in Paris while trying to outrun her hard-partying ways. They also had a fourth sister, Nicky, whose unexpected death left the family reeling. A year later, as they each navigate grief, addiction, and ambition, they find they must return to New York to stop the sale of the apartment they were raised in.
But coming home is never as easy as it seems. As the sisters reckon with the disappointments of their childhood and the loss of the only person who held them together, they realize that the greatest secrets they’ve been keeping might not have been from one another but from themselves.
Imbued with Coco Mellors signature combination of humor and heart, Blue Sisters is a story of what it takes to keep living after loss—and, ultimately, to fall in love with life again. (from Amazon.com)
My Initial Thoughts
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started listening to this audiobook. I knew that this book would be dealing with grief, and the complexities of familial relationships. But would it be sad? Melancholy? Or maybe even funny?
That’s the thing about death. Everyone responds to it differently. And given how different each of the Blue sisters is, it makes sense that they would have completely different reactions to Nicky’s death.
This story is told from the different perspectives of Avery, Lucky, and Bonnie. I realized quickly that the three of them really operated as their own family unit. There wasn’t much mention of their parents besides a memory here and there. It made me a little sad but it just goes to show how childhood and early upbringing can really affect people into adulthood.
I loved the Descriptions of Each Sister
The Blue sisters are similar. I mean, of course they are. They share the same parents and therefore, the same gene pool. But they are completely different and Coco Mellors did such a good job of creating these characters. I was so impressed by Mellors’ writing style and the way she developed the personality of each sister.
Avery is the oldest. And while on the outside she seems like any other successful lawyer, she also has a slew of destructive habits. Although she’s kicked drug addition and is almost ten years clean, her life is not so simple. Her beautiful wife wants more from her than she is able to give. And since the tragic death of her younger sister, she’s taken up some not so healthy habits.
Then there’s Bonnie. She is the second oldest sister, and also the quietest. She’s a former professional boxer who fled New York for Los Angeles after a devastating defeat.
Lucky Blue is the youngest of the Blue Sisters, and a bit of a wild child. She’s a professional model who has lived on her own since fifteen. She had to grow up quickly, but she also depends a lot on her sisters. She was closest to Nicky, which is why the loss of their fourth sister left Lucky reeling. Since losing Nicky she has especially used drugs and alcohol to numb the pain of their beloved sister’s death.
Sibling Roles and Dynamics
I’m not a psychologist, but I do find birth order very interesting. As the oldest child, Avery feels a responsibility to her sisters. She’s a typical eldest daughter who helped raise her siblings, and now she worries and absorbs their own stresses as her own. Lucky, as the baby of the family, doesn’t realize this and provokes her sister in different ways (whether it’s intentional or not). And then there’s Bonnie. The middle child who is solid as a rock. But deep down she’s working through some inner turmoil about an unrequited crush.
This book deals with so many difficult topics like grief, substance abuse, domestic abuse, growing up, and moving on. I enjoyed the points of view of all of the sisters. They all dealt with their grief in different ways and I really feel like their birth order was a part of how each woman reacted.
The Ending
With a book like Blue Sisters, where each character is crafted so realistically, is it surprising that the ending is realistic as well? Probably not. I loved the epilogue because it’s a time jump 10 years into the future. By the end of the book, all of the sisters had gone through a lot. And without spoiling anything, I’ll say I was very glad to see where they wound up in the future. This book covered many heavy themes and Coco Mellors tied up all the loose ends in the end.
Some Frequently Asked Questions
When Was Blue Sisters Released?
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors was released on May 21, 2024.
What is the story of the Blue Sisters?
The Blue Sisters is about a group of four sisters who all grew up in NYC together. Their childhood was not easy, as there father was an alcoholic and their mother chose to deny that fact. In their teen years they all split up and moved to different cities. But at 27 years old, their beloved fourth sister Nicky passed away and it hit all of the sisters differently.
A year later, their mother announces that she is selling the family home, an apartment in NYC. Nicky had been living there before she passed, and Avery kept paying the mortgage as a way to keep their childhood apartment still in the family.
Once their mother announces the potential sale of the apartment, each sister reflects on her past and her present. They each have their own ways of grieving, and they each have their own ways of making changes in their lives. Each chapter focuses on a different sister so that we get to see every character’s point of view.
Is Blue Sisters worth Reading?
Yes, Blue Sisters is worth reading. It’s written beautifully and you can tell that the author put so much time and consideration into the character development. It’s a thought-provoking read that makes you wonder about life, death, and who you are supposed to be.
Does Blue Sisters have Romance?
The Blue Sisters a story about relationships, but it doesn’t really focus on romantic love. Instead it focuses on the relationships between family and sisters. With that being said, each character does have a love interest of sorts but that is not the focus of the story.
In Conclusion
I hope that you enjoyed today’s Blue Sisters book review. This is a book that surprised me in such a good way. From page one until the final chapter, I was hanging onto every word. I was so engrossed in this story about grief, true sisterhood, and what it means to be human beings.
