Liz (Bent Bookworm)
Written on Dec 23, 2018
The Christmas Sisters hit me right in the feels. Hit so hard it hurt. About halfway through I put it down briefly, and considered not finishing it - not because it was bad, but because the sweetness of the sisters' relationships with each other and their family in general had me feeling very left out in the cold. My own immediate family is not close and it pains my heart, but after years of trying I had to take steps last year to protect my sanity and emotions from the manipulation. I would so LOVE to have family relationships like the ones in this book! They're not perfect either, and the story makes that clear, but they all truly love each other and accept each other as they are- even if they do bicker and carry on like most siblings, from time to time.
Despite my relationship-envy, the sisters haven't had entirely easy lives. Their real parents died in a tragic mountaineering accident when they were very young, and while they were adopted into this warm, nurturing family they understandably had some scars.
She found it impossible to read fairy stories where everyone lived happily ever after. She couldn't bring herself to perpetrate that lie. There was no Santa. There was no tooth fairy. Love couldn't be guaranteed...Hannah thought it was healthier if one's expectations of life were grounded in reality. If you didn't expect much, you didn't have as far to fall when you finally realized that no amount of planning could stop bad things happening.
I really identified with Hannah (the oldest sister) here. Right down to how she felt her birth parents had felt about her interests.
Even now there were days when she felt guilty for picking up a book, unable to shake the feeling that there was something more valuable she should be doing with her time.
So much this, even TO THIS DAY my mother takes jabs at my books and the time I spend reading.
Beth, the middle sister, and Posy, the youngest, have made something of their own lives in their own way. This particular Christmas though, all three sisters are at something of a crossroads in their lives. Coming home to Scotland is a chance to breathe and re-evaluate, for Beth and Hannah. For Posy, who has never left, their coming (along with that of a certain sexy newcomer to town) stirs a restlessness in her that she thought was long since controlled. What do they want out of life? What is most important? What is worth taking a risk for or on?
"Rocks you can see and touch and learn about. They're tangible things, but feelings -" he shook his head "-they're like the weather. They're the part you can't control. If you don't care about anything, then you're invulnerable, but once you care - well, you can be hurt. And people can disappoint and let you down."
There is SOME romance in this book, but it didn't really read like just a romance novel. The multi-faceted layers of all the relationships far exceeded my expectations and the romance was just a side story. The focus was really on the sisters and the family!
5/5 stars. Highly recommend! I don't understand why Sarah Morgan's books aren't more popular if they are all like this, I'm definitely going to be seeking out some of her others.
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