Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford – Review

Summary:

From the author of HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT, the story of a fractured family and three sisters’ secrets

The Sullivan sisters have a big problem. On Christmas Day their rich and imperious grandmother gathers the family and announces that she will soon die . . .and has cut the entire family out of her will. Since she is the source of almost all their income, this means they will soon be penniless.

Someone in the family has offended her deeply. If that person comes forward with a confession of her (or his) crime, submitted in writing to her lawyer by New Year’s Day, she will reinstate the family in her will. Or at least consider it.

And so the confessions begin….

Review: 4 Stars

I am so glad that I stumbled across this book. I picked Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters up at a library book sale for a dollar a while back and finally read it recently. It reminded me why I love some contemporary young adult titles. I read most of this book in one sitting, as I found this book rather hard to set down. The writing is phenomenal and the characters really came to life. This quick read is far too under-rated and you won’t want to miss it.

The plot of this story grabbed my attention from the blurb. Three sisters have to confess to their grandmother what they have done to offend her or risk the whole family be disinherited. As I read each teenage girl’s confessions, their “offending crimes” ranged drastically from one sister to the next and the way the story was written really brought the events to life. I found myself hooked on the different stories the girls told and I was unable to set the book down. I would not recommend starting this book late at night like I did because it can really grab you.

As far as characters go, I really loved Norrie and Jane, the two elder sisters. Their stories were so easy to relate to, despite the fact that they came from immense wealth, they were regular teenage girls. I liked Jane a lot as she had a rebellious streak and was a bit defiant, but I could also see how she grievously offended her grandmother. I had a hard time relating to Sassy though. I don’t know if it was because she was the youngest sister, or if I just didn’t find her story as believable. When I got to her confession I felt like the pace lightened up for me. I didn’t really like the ending either, but for most of the story I was so hooked and entertained.

I highly recommend this for those who enjoy contemporary YA. Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters is a quick read that really comes to life and is pretty entertaining. This book is perfect if you are looking for something light or fast paced after a long or intricate read. I would love to read other books by Natalie Standiford because her writing really is phenomenal.