The grass is always greener on your sister’s side of the fence…
Divorce left Harper Szymanski with a name no one can spell, a house she can't afford and a teenage daughter who's pulling away. With her fledgling virtual-assistant business, she's scrambling to maintain her overbearing mother’s ridiculous Susie Homemaker standards and still pay the bills, thanks to clients like Lucas, the annoying playboy cop who claims he hangs around for Harper's fresh-baked cookies.
Spending half her life in school hasn't prepared Dr. Stacey Bloom for her most daunting challenge—motherhood. She didn't inherit the nurturing gene like Harper and is in deep denial that a baby is coming. Worse, her mother will be horrified to learn that Stacey's husband plans to be a stay-at-home dad…assuming Stacey can first find the courage to tell Mom she's already six months pregnant.
Separately they may be a mess, but together Harper and Stacey can survive anything—their indomitable mother, overwhelming maternity stores and ex’s weddings. Sisters Like Us is a delightful look at sisters, mothers and daughters in today’s fast-paced world, told with Susan Mallery’s trademark warmth and humor. AMAZON 5 + STARS
I very cautiously picked this book to read. In varying degrees I like almost all of the author's books. That wasn't the problem. I just wasn't sure how I would like this story as it was explained. So I took a small risk and boy, am I glad I did. I LOVED, LOVED it!
Harper and her sister Stacey had wildly different stories but did have a least a couple things in common. One is there completely dysfunctional relationship with their mother. Even as they are in their forties it is still kind of crippling their lives. Bunny has these rigid standards that she totally expects her daughters to line up with. She loves them but uses manipulation and guilt at every turn. You'll have to read the book to see if she ever shows any redeeming qualities as the story goes on.
I want to take a minute and mention a few of the starring people in the story. Since I already mentioned Bunny, here are some of the rest:
Harper- She is struggling so hard to just survive and provide for her daughter Becca. Her daughter has no idea how hard things are for her mother. And things just keep getting piled more and more on Harper's plate. Her ex is no help either. He's a barely there guy with his own kid. He just came across as entitled and selfish to the bone.
Stacey - was the smartest person in any room. But not that way emotionally. She often observed that she didn't understand and often missed subtle cues socially. Most people just didn't get her either. But she does feel blessed that her husband Kit does. She has a good marriage even though she is terrified of her pregnancy. She just knows she's going to be a terrible mother.
Kit- is so excited that he is going to have a daughter with Stacey. He definitely was Stacey's Rock and it was good to see how he did that. He IS someone not afraid to stand up for her and just let her be herself.
Becca- she's feeling invisible. She's been let down by her father and his promises too many times to count. Her mother is so busy with her business that she barely has time for Becca either. Of course, Becca has no idea how desperate the finances are and is just your typical teenager. But she's not going to be clueless for too much longer. People start showing her this is her time to grow up a big. Lucas is the one that helps her the most in that area. He does care about her and he IS always there for her. He becomes like a surrogate father to her. He's fond of her but he also doesn't pull any punches.
Ashton- is Kit's nephew and wow, he has had a rough life. But things are looking up for him now and he appreciates it a lot. He becomes part of the family, something he hasn't had for a very long time.
Lucas- Now here is an usual character. He's an experienced older man. He's a detective and a chaser of seriously younger women. Not criminally young though. None of them lasting all that long either. Just flings, here and there. He has a lot of good qualities though and some of the conversations between Harper and Lucas are seriously funny. He helps her a lot but at one point he breaks the only one promise that Harper asked of him. At first I thought it was a misunderstanding. But no, it wasn't, and it made me want to hurt him. Things work out but as in any good book, it's gonna be rocky for a while.
Dean- he ends up being quite the friend and a huge help to her business. And help was definitely needed. Now, here was some smile-worthy conversations.
I'm not forgetting to mention that there are several canines added to the story. It's a worthwhile addition.
So, to me this story was charming, emotional, with believable challenges and complex people.
The people had depth and they drew me in.
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